You Hold My Heart In Your Paws
by ByakuSharingan
Summary: "Explain what, Naruto? Explain how you were so totally caught up in the passion of having Neji's dick shoved right up your ass?" Sasuke thought that he had met the love of his life, his significant other at the mere age of 20, only to realize that to anyone else but him, young fairytale romances were nothing but games. SasuNaru. NejiNaru. Cheating.
1. Realizations & Reality

**You Hold My Heart In Your Paws**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Never had, don't, and probably never will. And that makes me very sad.

It was their 2-Year Anniversary, and Sasuke Uchiha still could not get over that fact. Two years of sweet, cheesy, passionate love, and all with the one that Sasuke knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Yes, this was only the beginning. 2 years of countless more to come, and Sasuke's grin only got bigger thinking of it. He clutched the steering wheel of his sleek black Porsche (a gift from his parents before they moved back to Japan) with his left hand and his gift to his loved one in his right. He knew that his boyfriend would like it very much; he had a thing for orange anyway. Sasuke knew that getting the gift 3 months prior to their anniversary was a little…much, but hey, love makes you do things you don't see yourself doing ever, much less often.

In the neatly wrapped medium-sized gift box was a stitched orange baby fox. Tiny, bead-sized blue gems for eyes, and 3 adorable whisker-like marks stitched on each cheek, fanning from its nose. What made it stand out, and what made it special though, was what it was holding in its paws. On a scarlet heart that was right about the same size as the fox's body, were sewn incredibly neatly, the words 'You hold my heart in your paws. Sasuke had to pay quite a bit for the fox, as it was purely hand sewn, but it was just a small sacrifice to make in order to see the bright grin and sparking ocean-blue eyes of his own little fox.

Naruto Uzumaki, the epitome of perfect in Sasuke's eyes. Golden hair that reflected the sun's rays whenever he turned his head, perfect ocean, cerulean, sapphire, God, there was no definite shade to his ever-changing blue eyes, 3 thin, adorable whisker-like marks on each cheek that resembled the ones on the fox, a tiny little button nose, plump, pink and oh-so-kissable lips that just begged to be taken when put in his signature pout, and flawless caramel skin that stretched over a rather feminine and short build.

Naruto Uzumaki was…perfect, beautiful, stunning, amazing, gorgeous. Sasuke could have come up with more adjectives to describe his boyfriend, and hopefully future-spouse, but he had to focus on the road, dang it. His excitement to spend their special day with Naruto getting the best of him, Sasuke stepped on the pedal and zoomed off to meet his boyfriend, the one who held his fragile heart in the palm of his hand.

* * *

Locking the doors to his car and running as fast as he could up the stairs to his boyfriend's apartment at the 5th level, Sasuke realized that he was a half hour early than when they were supposed to meet. But, who could blame him for wanting to see his love earlier than supposed to, right?

Straightening his coat and tie, smoothing down is hair and wiping off the occasional bead of perspiration off of his face, Sasuke stood up straight, with his gift in a firm grip in his left hand, and knocked on the door. He immediately pulled back his hand, as though the door was burning hot, and began to shift his weight from foot to foot. To anyone who knew the Uchiha, it would seem completely out of character to see him act so nervously. Yes, it was completely unnerving and admittedly, a little bit hilarious to watch the Uchiha get so flustered over a simple date with his boyfriend of two years. However, Sasuke's got his own reasons for acting the way he is now.

This relationship that started when he was 20, and Naruto, 19, was and is his first ever one, and Sasuke knows that it is serious, and he feels like as though that he has finally found his significant other. Also, being the organized and perfect little person that he was, he could not handle ever disappointing his first ever boyfriend. He wanted to make this relationship last, he wanted it to work so badly because he loved Naruto. So much so that he is willing to give up just about anything and sacrifice just about anything to see Naruto smile and laugh and just be free. He planned everything that he did with Naruto such that it would all work to his favor, such that it would work to make Naruto be jubilant. He could never handle seeing Naruto getting upset or ever fall into depression because of whatever anyone did. He could never ever handle seeing Naruto become disappointed in something that Sasuke had done, and that was why he went all the way in terms of keeping Naruto happy. He wanted Naruto happy, and he showed Naruto in more ways than he could count, how much he loved him, as many times and in many different ways he could come up with.

He, of course, planned out their 2-year anniversary celebration quite perfectly, and it was all meant to be a surprise. He couldn't wait to see the ecstatic grin on his adorable fox's face, and all because of him. Bouncing on his toes again, Sasuke decided to knock on the door a second time, whilst checking his watch. _5.36pm_. Sasuke's nose scrunched up in thought. Naruto would usually answer the door almost immediately, unless he was taking a shower or sleeping.

A malicious grin formed on Sasuke's face at the thought of seeing his rather sexy boyfriend under the hot water of the shower, tantalizing skin glistening with water. He hoped that Naruto was actually in the shower, because little Sasuke, the one at the top, knew how to prioritize things and obviously doing kinky things in the shower under the running water came first before anything else he planned for the evening. Besides, little Sasuke #2, the one…down there, twitched a little at the thought of ramming itself into—

Sasuke shook his head and glared down at his zipper, scolding little Sasuke #2 for making little Sasuke #1 go onto the more 'indecent' part of his relationship. Standing up straight and thinking about his high school Chemistry teacher, old lady Ms. Jenkins, wearing a bikini immediately solved the problem of Naruto branding him a pervert once he takes notice of the rather prominent bulge in the other's' pants.

Gripping the brass door knob in his hand, Sasuke slowly but quietly turned it, satisfied that the door was unlocked. Slowly sliding the door open just a crack, Sasuke caught sight of the instant Ramen cups littering the floors, the messy living room, dining room, kitchen…basically the whole entire house. Noting that his boyfriend was nowhere to be found, Sasuke picked up even more of his courage and opened the door just enough for him to fit through. He had to bend his head down a little because fitting through a door that was just about the same height as you was rather difficult. Once he was inside the house, Sasuke made sure to close the door just as quietly and stepped on the clear patches of grey carpet that he could find, basically those spots that were not taken up by ramen cups, snack bar wrappers, soda cans, etc. _The dobe needs to clean, it's a pigsty in here!_ Sasuke crept about the house, and to anyone else it would have been laughable. Watching a 6'4' 22 year old 'spying' about the house of his 21 year old boyfriend in a suit was rather ridiculous.

Creeping closer and closer towards the bedroom, Sasuke could hear slight moans and pants that little Sasuke #2 immediately recognized. _The dobe wants to surprise me, huh?_ Little Sasuke #2 jumped in joy, and its owner's body immediately sped up in its pace to get to the bedroom. Trying his very best to remain calm and composed, Sasuke stood in front of his dobe's bedroom and relished in the sounds that were coming from the other side of the door, and they took Sasuke back to exactly a year ago, when he had his first time with his first boyfriend of their first year.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Nn-nghh.. Ha-ah-haa, harder Sa-sasuke, oh God, deeper… please," Naruto moaned into his boyfriend of one year's neck, and met him halfway in his thrusts. He clutched harder onto the hair of Sasuke's head and arched his back in a perfect C when Sasuke went deeper than before, striking his prostate dead-on. Letting his mouth open in a silent scream of pleasure, Naruto dove into the ecstasy of it all, and his hips immediately went into frenzy.

Seeing those lips open up as a silent invitation, Sasuke dove in and captured those lips in one fluid motion, while at the same time grasping hold on his boyfriend's manhood and pumping it in time to his own thrusts. Relishing in the feel of their tongues battling against one another, teeth clashing and noses bumping, the identical coils in their stomachs were getting tighter and tighter and when completion demanded completion, their lips broke apart and both males gasped out the other's name, seed squirting everywhere, one on their chests, and the other in his boyfriend's ass.

Both panting heavily from the amazing orgasm that they had ever experienced, it took a while for them to calm down and come back down to earth from their high. Wiping away stray locks of blond hair away from the tempting forehead, Sasuke planted a light kiss, and slowly made his way down to those pink lips that he loved so much. Keeping it only light and chaste, Sasuke pulled away, and was amused to find Naruto's lips following his.

Naruto felt rather than hear the chuckle vibrate through his love's chest, and opened up his eyes only to realize exactly why Sasuke was laughing. Feeling his face burn an unhealthy shade of red, Naruto immediately glared at his lover and pouted, but the glare was rather pointless seeing as how he still had his boyfriend's dick up his ass. Blushing, not from embarrassment, Naruto pursed his lips together and wiggled his hips a little, hoping that Sasuke got the idea.

Sasuke, seeing as how adorably uncomfortable his boyfriend was getting after getting his virginity taken away, decided to save him from more embarrassment and pulled out, wincing slightly at the sudden cold air that made contact with his penis. Grabbing some tissues, Sasuke handed some to Naruto and instructed for them to clean up, before getting rid of them and snuggling with each other. As soon as Sasuke's body made contact with the bed, Naruto immediately cocooned himself into Sasuke's side, burying his face into his neck and breathing in the after-sex scent of his boyfriend.

Taking note of exactly how beautiful his boyfriend looked at that moment, eyes closed and lips formed into a serene and peaceful smile, Sasuke turned on his side and wrapped an arm around Naruto's slender waist, hugging him rather possessively. This was the boy he loved, the boy he loves, and the boy he will love for the rest of his life. This was the boy that he was positive—

"I love you Sasuke," a barely audible whisper.

Yes, he was positive that this was the boy that he would live the rest of his life with, and how Sasuke was ecstatic.

"I love you too, Naru."

* * *

Slowly sinking back into reality, Sasuke smiled and got ready to unlock the door—

"I love you so f-fu-fucking much N-Neji, oh God… Haa-haa, harder, please… I'm beg-begging you…"

Sasuke's body immediately stilled. He stood there, frozen in absolute shock and horror. God, hold on a minute, he had to have heard wrongly right? Naruto, his lovely, beautiful, significant other, did not just utter the name of his rival, in basically everything, in the heat of passion, right? That's right, Sasuke must have been mistaken. It must have been the adrenaline and excitement that were coursing through his veins at a hundred miles an hour, that's why he wasn't hearing things right, right?

Right.

Picking up more courage than he ever dared, Sasuke took in one deep breath, and pushed open the door… Only to a sight he had never wanted to see. _Ever._

There, on the very same bed that both Sasuke and Naruto made love on just three days ago, and exactly one year ago, was his boyfriend…and his rival, Neji Hyuuga. The son of the side branch of the Hyuuga family, he was a recognized prodigy, and also Sasuke's competitor in everything, and by everything, I do mean everything, looks, fame, fortune, and even girls. They were equally matched, and it pissed Sasuke off more often than not, to have to compete with someone when he didn't even plan to.

The Uchihas and the Hyuugas were the main business typhoons in the world, and both of their roots are traced back to Japan. They were constantly competing in terms of business and in terms of getting and bagging the same client. If one saw one party, they could bet their whole entire life that the other would be there as well. Sasuke's father, Fugaku Uchiha, was always on the edge and constantly stressed and overworked once he came back home from Uchiha Inc., and everyone in the Uchiha family knew that it was because of a certain Hizashi Hyuuga, the main head of the family, that was causing their own family head to return home in such a state. Little Sasuke, age 8, had prayed that one day their family would stop having to constantly fight with another one, over insignificant things such as fame and fortune (in little Sasuke's eyes), but it seemed that fate had hated him, and still does, when he realized that he was to be put in the same school, grade, and class as one Neji Hyuuga back in high school, a similar prodigy to himself. Straight A student, vice-president of the Student Council (with Sasuke being the president of course, and boy did he love to rub it in the other's face), and constantly having one girl, and the occasional guy, tailing him from behind.

How Sasuke loathed Neji, and the only other person that knew of his hatred towards the long-haired, lavender-eyed male, was his boyfriend, Naruto. He was there every single time Sasuke had to rant about Neji, over anything and basically everything that he was angry about had a link or two to the pale-eyed teen.

And now, looking at the scene before him, Sasuke knew that there were many more rants to come about, just that Naruto wouldn't be there to rant to.

There, on the same bed that they used to have their casual romps on, was Naruto, slender legs wrapped around a pale waist, caramel arms wrapped around wide, strong shoulders that were curtained by shampoo-commercial-worthy brown hair, and whose mouth, that same mouth that Sasuke dreamed off kissing for the rest of his life, was currently occupied with the mouth of another male.

Who wasn't Sasuke.

"OH GOD, RIGHT THERE," a shout of pure, unadulterated bliss reached Sasuke's ears, one that he knew was never directed at him, ever. Never once in their lovemaking sessions had Naruto seemed as relaxed, sated, excited, as he did on his own bed with Neji right then.

Never once.

And those two words were what broke Sasuke. Never once had he made Naruto feel as good as his own rival had. Never once had Sasuke made Naruto look so at peace, look so sated, look and feel so loved as he did right there. Never once had he made Naruto fully reach the greatest peaks of pleasure, as he thought he had.

Only Neji did. Only his rival did.

"NEJI!", a shout, one that sounded so full of passion broke Sasuke off of his frozen state, but he continued to stare blankly ahead of him, at the two glistening, perspiring bodies of his boyfriend, and soon to be ex-boyfriend, as well as his rival. The look that Naruto gave Neji after they both reached their climaxes was one that Sasuke never saw being directed at him, ever. It was one of pure love, pure innocent love, one that would probably last a lifetime.

"I love you Neji, so damn much." Those 7 words barely made it into the recesses of Sasuke's mind, but it absorbed it all the same.

Neji, his rival, had officially beat him in the one thing that Sasuke never wanted to be beat at. Neji had successfully stolen the heart of the boy that he practically ripped off of his chest and gave his heart to. Neji had successfully managed to bring down the Uchiha, in terms of wanting to ever feel loved back, in terms of wanting to experience his own little fairytale, no matter how small. Neji had officially taken Naruto, his beautiful angel, away from him. And…

It hurt.

It hurt so damn much.

As the two bodies shuffled and shoved about to make them comfortable, Naruto, noticing the time, immediately shot back up.

"Neji! You have to get out of here! Sas—" his words died on his lips as he turned towards the doorway, where he was instructing for Neji to get out from.

There stood, in all his mighty Uchiha glory, Sasuke, with the most pained, hurt, devastated and pathetic face that any Uchiha had ever shown. His right hand was clutching the brass doorknob in a painful grip, his knuckles were turning white. His left hand, the one holding onto the gift, the gift meant for his boyfriend of two years, two long, loving years, was shaking. His mouth was hanging open, just a fraction, and oh God, his eyes… Those were the worst. They were blank, void of all emotion, just like before he met Naruto, and all Naruto could do was gasp and push Neji off of his bed, wrap the covers around himself and rush to his boyfriend's side.

Naruto could already feel the start of his tears ripping at the sensitive tissues of his eyes, and he furiously tried his best to keep them in check and under control, but to no avail. The tears just kept coming, and they never wanted to stop. Gripping the ends of the covers around him even tighter, Naruto reached out a hand to hold Sasuke, to at least try to explain, explain and pray that Sasuke wouldn't leave him because of this, pray that Sasuke would give him a second chance.

"Sasuke! Oh God, Sasuke!" Naruto gasped as he finally managed to grasp onto Sasuke's muscular forearm.

That light contact of skin on skin broke Sasuke off of his reverie, and he turned his blank stare to Naruto's teary blue one, those eyes that Sasuke loved. Upon registering how his supposedly loyal boyfriend was dressed, wrapped only in bed covers that were still stained white from semen, that was obviously not his, Sasuke's face changed. It now clearly showed, in every nook and cranny, the pure disgust, hurt, betrayal, devastation and outright pain that Sasuke was experiencing right then.

"No, no, please, Sasuke, no, please, just listen to me! Just let me explain wh—" Naruto started panicking, voice going a hundred miles an hour, but was cut off by Sasuke.

"Explain what, Naruto?" Naruto immediately stilled. No, Sasuke never raised his voice, and he still didn't. It was the soft, calm and collected way that he spoke that completely unnerved Naruto. This was how Sasuke was like before, when they first met. This was the cold Sasuke, the one that would lock himself away from the world and brood in one corner, because he felt so insignificant that he didn't mix around with others. This was the old Sasuke that often cut himself due to high family expectations and school work. This was the old Sasuke, the one that fell into depression.

Naruto hated the old Sasuke.

"What do you have to explain?" Sasuke broke their gaze, and looked back up onto the bed, where Neji was laying on the other side, rubbing his head where he probably hit the floor, all the while with a satisfied smirk on his face. All of it was meant for Sasuke.

He knew he broke Sasuke.

He knew he won.

And he was happy.

Sasuke couldn't blame Neji for that, he had no right to. Instead, he calmly looked at the ground where his boy—, no, ex-boyfriend's feet were, and spoke in a voice as dead and as cold as ice.

"Explain how you were so totally caught up in the passion of having Neji's dick shoved right up your ass?" As Sasuke said those words, his mouth contorted into one of pure disgust. Feeling anger seeping through his veins and taking the wheel, he let it go, because Sasuke could only keep calm for so long, and like a coil coiled too tightly, his anger sprang on itself and Sasuke lost it.

"Explain how you fucking _betrayed_ my trust? Explain how I was _loyal_, _faithful_ to you, brought and bought you gifts in order to make you happy, planned _every_ single thing and date out so fucking carefully so that I didn't disappoint you, only to get back this **SHIT** as a fucking return?" Naruto took notice of how Sasuke's fists were clenched so tightly, and his eyes widened his horror as he saw blood trickle down the pale, piano-playing hands that he loved for his own to get swallowed in.

"No, please, Sasuke, no, love—" Naruto started to say, but Sasuke, who was giving him the coldest, most iciest and fury-filled glare that he had ever seen being directed at him, cut him off.

"Don't you dare call me that when I now know that I'm not alone," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. He could feel his tears coming on, but he would not break down here. Not here, never here.

Naruto immediately recoiled, like he was slapped in the face, and the tears immediately started to fall. Like a running tap that refused to stop, Naruto started sobbing, and it would be a while till he stopped.

"I woke up this morning, so fucking overjoyed that I have been in a relationship with someone for 2 _fucking_ years, 2 wonderful, loving years, grabbed the fucking gift that I bought for you _3 months ago_, planned this evening out _perfectly_ for _you_, only to come to my **supposedly** **loyal** boyfriend's house and realize that he's _engaged in sex with the one guy that you fucking knew I was insecure around?! How low can you get?!_" Sasuke whispered the last sentence out viciously, with as much malice as he could muster, and wiped away that the tears that were streaming down his cheeks.

Naruto could only stare dumbfounded at his boyfriend as he broke down. This was the first time that he had ever seen Sasuke break down, and it was all because of him.

Naruto sobbed harder, his body shaking and convulsing with his sharp intakes of breaths and choked sobs. "Sasuke…" Naruto started, and reached out a shaky, small hand in hopes of getting to at least wipe away the tears that he himself had caused.

Gripping the gift in his hand even more tightly, creating dents in the cardboard, Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself down. He never got angry often; he was a patient guy. But everyone knew that those who rarely showed their anger were the ones who exploded once they've reached their limit, and Sasuke was close. He couldn't afford to get all grenade-like right now, not in front of Neji, and giving him the satisfaction, of what exactly Sasuke himself didn't know. Taking a few deep breaths, and closing his eyes to the heartbreaking sight of his boyfriend and his bed, Sasuke managed to collect himself.

"How long…?" Sasuke whispered out, the lump in his throat preventing him from raising his voice any higher or louder. He knew he shouldn't have asked, because, being a prodigy and living up to his name, Sasuke knew that this was not a one-time thing, but he prayed to God that he was wrong. He loved Naruto, and he knew that he might be able to close one eye to this event if it were to be their first time, because that was exactly how far and how much he loved Naruto.

The question obviously caught Naruto by surprise, as he instantly retracted his hand and clutched it together with his other one, the one holding onto the pieces of cloth covering his lithe body. He knew Sasuke knew the answer. He knew that Sasuke wanted to hear something other than the obvious truth. He knew that Sasuke wanted him to lie, so that maybe their relationship could still be saved.

But bitter truths are always better than the sweetest lies, as the saying goes.

"…6 months," the barely audible whisper left Naruto's lips, and his head immediately snapped to the side, a stinging pain in his right cheek. Using both hands to cover his injured cheek, where no doubt a bright red print would be forming, Naruto forgot about the way he was dressed, and the bed covers that were keeping him clothed immediately dropped to the floor, exposing him for the whole entire world to see.

Naruto's own semen that had forgotten to be wiped off littered his body, all dried up. The faint trickle of Neji's own sperm from Naruto's behind was fairly obvious, and Sasuke could see as bright as day that Naruto's body was tainted. It was no longer his, it was Neji's. He wasn't the one who sucked random, bright red hickeys randomly all over his slender form. It wasn't him who left bite marks around Naruto's nipples.

It wasn't him.

It was Neji.

Sasuke stared down at his left hand, relishing in the sting of it, and looked back up at Naruto, who was currently frantically trying his best to cover himself up while attending to his injured cheek. Naruto was doing his best to keep his choked sobs down to a minimum, but he was failing miserably. His bright blue eyes were just ocean slits, tears constantly staining his whiskered cheeks.

"Please… Sasuke, please, don't—"

"I loved you Naruto," Naruto took notice of how the word was used in the past tense. Sasuke loved him. He used to love him. Sasuke, his world, his everything, didn't love him any longer, and all because of a stupid mistake that he committed 6 months ago. "I fucking loved you. You healed me, you took me out of my depression, but you've hurt me, again. For 2 years I was loyal and faithful to you, for two years I did my best and tried my very best to be the best boyfriend for you and this is what I get? You had the fucking cheek to do this on our anniversary, our fucking 2-year anniversary." Sasuke made sure to keep his voice at a mere whisper, because everything that he had to say, was only meant to be heard by both Naruto and himself, and the both of them only.

"I thought that you were the one, I thought that maybe this relationship would actually last for the rest of my life. I loved you, I was loyal, faithful, never have I once gone behind your back and did anything with anyone. I made sure to keep my distance from anyone who wanted to get close to me, only to realize that today, you'd kick me aside and willingly spread your legs wide for another male with similar status."

"You're nothing but a disgusting whore."

And Sasuke left the building, throwing down and kicking the gift that basically declared his love to Naruto down onto the ground, making sure to aim and kick it as far away as he could. No, Sasuke did not spit in his face. He knew his limits, but how he wished he did.

Upon hearing those words from his, officially, ex-boyfriend, Naruto grabbed at his heart and sank down to his knees, his cries getting louder and louder with each dignified step that Sasuke took away from Naruto, away from his love, away from the bed that they always had passionate sex in. Hearing those words, those heart breaking words from his own boyfriend, Naruto couldn't take it.

What Sasuke said was true.

And it hurt Naruto, who right then and there, realized exactly how low and disgusting he was. Why he did it, Naruto himself wasn't so sure. Maybe it was the thrill of getting to snag the two most wanted and popular teenage guys in school, in the state, the country even. Maybe it was the knowledge of knowing that the two most wanted males wanted to fuck nobody else but him. But it all came crashing down, and because of his own selfish, pathetic reasons and excuses, Naruto lost the one that he knew, deep down, loved him dearly, and would do anything and everything for him to see him smile.

Those kinds of people were extremely rare in the world, and the world may have lost one of them, all because of Naruto.

It hurt.

It hurt so much, and Naruto's heart clenched so painfully that he couldn't even begin to hear his own sobs. The faint walking away of Sasuke, and the ringing of his ears were the only things that registered themselves in Naruto's head. Clenching his eyes shut, Naruto braced himself for the echoing sound of the door slamming, knowing exactly what it would mean.

When Sasuke reached the front door, he grabbed it and pulled it open, and made sure to slam it extra hard. As soon as he did that, a pained scream resounded from Naruto's apartment, no doubt its owner's, and Sasuke knew what he had officially done.

That resounding bang of the door against its frame signified the end of Sasuke's little fairytale. They were over.

He had walked away from the person who held his heart in their paws.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! This is my first ever fanfic, and I am really new here on , so please go easy on me! If you've enjoyed it, kindly hit the review button down below, and tell me what you've enjoyed! And if you didn't, please let me know how I can improve my writing skills via the reviews as well! I'd really appreciate it, and by letting me know what I've done badly, then I can write better ones for you guys! Thank you so much for reading!

ByakuSharingan


	2. Fights & Flights

**You Hold My Heart In Your Paws**

_Chapter 2: Fights & Flights_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. Dang it.

* * *

Grasping at his chest, Naruto's lithe frame convulsed with his sobs, the choked, pathetic sounds rebounding against the white, fraying walls of his bedroom. The pained cries escaping those plump lips were heartbreaking to anyone, including the other occupant in the room, the one who was responsible for the ending of the little fairytale romance that Sasuke once held so dearly to himself.

Picking himself off of the hardwood flooring, Neji silently grabbed his boxers that had landed haphazardly at the foot of the bed, and slipped them on just as silently. He cautiously walked over to the other male, towards the pitiful sight, and braced himself for the blow that Naruto would most definitely be giving to him.

On the other hand, Naruto's mind was still trying it's very best to get rid of the haze that formed over it when he first saw Sasuke. It was trying its very best to clutch onto any bit of reality and sanity, anything that seemed plausible, believable, in hopes of keeping its owner grounded and from falling away into the depths of madness. It all happened too fast, and so quickly, that Naruto felt like the world was spinning and he was floating a good six feet away from his body. In a way, he was. Considering the fact that he _betrayed and backstabbed his_ loyal, amazing, wonderful, faithful, magnificent, God, Naruto's limited vocabulary prevented him from coming up with any more adjectives to describe his perfect boyfriend, _in the worst possible way imaginable._

Thoughts flittered about and around Naruto's mind, many of them taking on Sasuke's voice and repeating his departing words,_ 'You're nothing but a disgusting whore'_. Naruto clutched at his head, wanting the voice to just dissipate and get out, to stop taunting him and laying out the truth of what he really was. It hurt to be reminded of what Sasuke thought of him. It cut him deeply, and the gash that those words created in Naruto's heart was so huge and gaping, Naruto knew it would take much too long a time to heal.

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Naruto prayed to God that the earth would just split open right beneath his feet and swallow him whole, because he knew he deserved it. He knew what he had to done to Sasuke. He knew what he had done to the perfect, in too many ways to count, Sasuke.

He had been there for Naruto, through thick and thin. He was Naruto's first friend in high school, and slowly, gradually became his best friend, and was always there to rescue Naruto from the jocks who would amuse themselves by picking on those weaker than them. Sasuke had been there for Naruto whenever he needed help in schoolwork, whenever he needed an escape from reality, and whenever he just wanted Sasuke to be around. Sasuke had always been there for Naruto, and when brotherly love slowly morphed into something much greater, Naruto feared for Sasuke's reaction.

Imagine Naruto's surprise when Sasuke ended up telling him that he felt the exact same way, and he showed and showered Naruto with love, in so many different ways, and had always tried and did his best to be the best boyfriend for Naruto. He would let Naruto do whatever he wanted, as long as it made him happy, but always drew the line when he knew it would affect Naruto negatively, be it physically or emotionally. He was always looking out for Naruto, but made sure to keep his distance as to not become the 'over-protective' and 'obsessed' boyfriend that Sasuke knew Naruto despised. Sasuke always knew when to stop when it came to conversing with others, he knew when the girls and the occasional dude would be flirting with him, and he immediately stopped and went back to Naruto. He cut down his social life so drastically, all for Naruto's sake. Sasuke knew what put a smile to Naruto's face, and would and had sacrificed anything and everything to be able to see it.

Sasuke had put every part of himself into the relationship. He had put in so much effort into the relationship, into Naruto. Sasuke had shown and told Naruto countless times how much he loved him, how he wished that he could spend every single waking moment of his life just being by Naruto's side. Sasuke had done everything and gone out of his way to make Naruto happy, even if he himself had to sacrifice his sleep, food, and time. To Sasuke, Naruto meant the whole entire world, and he proved that to Naruto countless of times, more times than the blue-eyed fox could count.

Realizing what exactly Sasuke had done for him, and what he himself gave his fucking perfect boyfriend back as a 'thank-you' gift, Naruto winced in disgust at himself. His boyfriend was willing to give up anything for Naruto, probably even his own life, but he would throw the thought of Sasuke aside in an instant, and, quoting Sasuke's words, 'willingly spread his legs wide for another male with similar status'.

Naruto visibly winced at that abrupt thought that, no matter how much he tried, remained imprinted onto the back of his eyelids. Grabbing at his hair, Naruto let out the most broken scream that he could muster, as he opened his eyes and stared down at the evidence between his legs, that faint stream of white semen from his ass, the evidence that declared to the whole world that he had cheated on his boyfriend.

"Naruto…" the softest whisper that echoed throughout the bedroom broke Naruto off of his reverie. That voice, that voice that belonged to the one person that Sasuke hated with his whole entire being, that voice that belonged to the one person that Naruto had willingly had sex with, that one person that was enough to bring down Sasuke; he was still present in the room. Thus, laying bare the truth about Naruto's actions, declaring to the world that yes, he had officially cheated on his boyfriend.

Upon realizing that thought, Naruto opened up his mouth and let a pain-filled cry break through. It wasn't the fact that he had sex with his boyfriend's rival that caused that. No, it was the realization that Naruto had willingly done it. He had willingly allowed himself to be pleasured by someone other than his faithful and possible future spouse, had willingly engaged in sexual intercourse, and had willingly allowed to take on the path to break his beloved's heart. He had willingly done it, purposely permanently damaging Sasuke.

Naruto felt lower than the lowest.

As soon as he heard that scream, Neji was by his side in an instant, wrapping his pale, strong arms around the petite figure and pulling him into his chest. Neji could feel exactly how much Naruto was shaking by, and the sobs that wrecked through his small frame and the cries that left those soft lips were enough to tug at Neji's heartstrings. He held the boy even tighter than before, and used one hand to smooth down the ruffled blond locks, trying his best to calm Naruto down with just his words.

"It's okay, I've got you."

Those words that left the thin pale pink lips of Neji's did nothing to soothe Naruto. In fact, it only made him worse.

It only made him realize exactly how much he loved hearing those words from Sasuke instead, hearing and feeling his voice just wash all over him, soothing him, bringing with it the whispered sweet nothings that Sasuke would mindlessly utter during their post-sex cuddling. How Naruto missed hearing those words, and now, having to hear them from what he would call 'second-best', Naruto's heart broke into much smaller pieces than it already was in, and Naruto knew that those pieces would take a long time to be put back together, considering the fact that Sasuke was the only one capable of healing his heart.

But was that still true? Was Sasuke really the only one capable of healing him, when he declared out loud, not too long ago, that he loved Neji, the one who was with him, comforting him right then? Was Neji still 'second-best'? Naruto's little mind was just as confused with its own feelings just as it was with whatever had happened not too long ago. Who did he love? Did he love Sasuke? Had he even loved Sasuke? Does he love Neji?

Why did he even agree to this stupid relationship with Neji anyway? Out of excitement? Out of curiosity? Out of the thrills that he would get when he realized that he would get to bed the two hottest guys on Earth? What did the past 6 months even mean? Why had he come back to Neji willingly, again and again, every single week, when he knew he had Sasuke back at home to help fulfill his sexual desires?

Naruto abruptly stopped his train of thought, and realized exactly what it meant. He was willing to sacrifice his little fairytale romance for a couple of nights of pleasure. He was willing to sacrifice his and Sasuke's relationship for the sake of his own selfish needs. He was willing to sacrifice Sasuke's happiness and heart for the sake of his own sexual desires.

He was willing to hurt Sasuke, damage him completely, all for a good fuck.

_God, I really am a whore._

Breaking down into more sobs, Naruto's mind tried it's best to wrap around the current situation.

His boyfriend had just caught him cheating on him with his own rival, _on their anniversary_.

Sasuke's face at catching Naruto red-handed flashed through Naruto's mind, and he immediately gritted his teeth at the amount of hurt he saw rolling off of his boyfriend's face. Sasuke's last words to him and the echoing bang of the door replayed themselves in Naruto's mind, and he, for the first time in the past 2 years, imagined his life without Sasuke.

No Sasuke to see, no Sasuke to hear, no Sasuke to hold, no Sasuke to touch, so Sasuke to tell him how beautiful he was, to tell him how he was worth all the sacrifices that he had to make to see a smile on his face. But the one fact that stood out the most amongst all the others, was that for Naruto, there would be _no more Sasuke to love_.

That was then that Naruto knew for a fact that he loved Sasuke. Imagining his life without a particular Sasuke Uchiha in it, was painful, and Naruto visibly flinched, and hastily got out of Neji's hold.

Looking back at the past 6 months, Naruto realized exactly why he decided to pursue this stupid thing with Neji in the first place.

He went to Neji again and again because he wanted to feel superior to the others back in school, those that were eyeing him in envy, because of the fact that he was with Sasuke. He wanted to feel even better about himself, because he was insecure. He was insecure about his body, even when Sasuke constantly told him that he was beautiful, and perfect even. It wasn't enough, and when Naruto's insecurities began to eat him alive, Neji stepped into the picture, and helped get rid of Naruto's insecurities, even just for a little while. He had wanted to feel better, had wanted to feel good enough, physically, as himself, and had gone ahead and _cheated_ on his boyfriend with his fucking _rival_, for God's sake. But Naruto knew that everything, every little declaration of 'love' that he had said to Neji, was all during and because of the heat of passion that the both of them were feeling. His words never held any truth behind them, they were just said to make Naruto feel loved, and to love.

Sasuke's words about how beautiful Naruto was were never enough for Naruto. He needed to hear them from another person, and the only other person was Neji, considering the fact that he was the other half of the 'hottest guy' duo. Naruto only started believing that he was good enough when he started hearing the exact words of Sasuke leave Neji's mouth, being directed at him. And Naruto's and Neji's relationship began to grow, becoming much more intimate and touchy than considered 'alright' for two friends just helping each other. Naruto's insecurities lessened, and at the same time grew. He knew and believed that he was beautiful, but only having one person chase after him made him doubt Neji's and Sasuke's words. He was the one who initiated all sexual contact, never Neji. He was the one who started anything intimate, not once had Neji ever tried and done anything out of his own free will. Naruto was the one who made plans as to where to meet and what they should do, never Neji.

It was his own insecurities that broke his relationship between himself and Sasuke. It was his own insecurities that broke the Sasuke Uchiha himself. It was his pathetic, stupid, and pointless insecurities that ended the wonderful 2 years that Naruto had spent with his boyfriend.

Naruto honestly felt disgusted with himself, thoroughly disgusted with the slut that he had become in order to feel secure, in order to feel beautiful, in order to feel wanted and loved.

Calling him a prostitute would have been an insult to prostitutes.

"Naruto…?" Neji called out softly towards him. He was obviously shocked when Naruto, out of the blue, flinched out of his hold, and never once looked up at him. He knew the thoughts that were going through Naruto's mind right then and there, and he couldn't help but let anger take over him, knowing for a fact that Naruto was going to break off this—this 'unique' relationship that they had.

Keeping and making sure that his anger was still well under control, Neji nodded determinedly to himself, knowing that he had to snag this blonde, right then and there. Why? Because he was a Hyuuga, and he was currently holding onto Uchiha property. He couldn't let Naruto crawl back to Sasuke, that would signify that Neji had lost, signify that Sasuke, even though he had lost the battle, had won the war.

No.

Neji could not afford that. He could not afford losing his face to the bastardly Sasuke. He still had his ground to stand on, and a war to win. So what if he was being a selfish bastard? He still had his Hyuuga pride to uphold. He wouldn't let some meek person like Naruto keep him from getting his prize, and 'prize' meaning watching Sasuke die, a little by little, slowly, by having to face the fact that the love of his life had been taken away by a fucking Hyuuga.

So what if he didn't love Naruto? He was just a tool to get what Neji had always wanted, to successfully break the Uchiha until he couldn't stand on his own two feet any longer. He was just someone to use in getting what he wanted, what would determine the outcome between the constant battle between Hyuuga Corp. and Uchiha Inc.

Naruto was nobody.

He was just a tool.

Nodding resolutely to himself, and making sure that his concerned mask was back on his face, Neji moved to tilt Naruto's face, grasping his little chin with his index and thumb. Slowly, he tilted the rounded face upwards, making sure to lock gazes with him, and Neji, just for show, gasped.

The indefinite shade of blue was a deep cerulean, and was covered by a thin veil of salty tears. The crystal-clear water constantly streamed down the scarred cheeks, reminding Neji of the rivers that his family would often sail on back during the time they were on their World Tour in Venice. The button nose was all red, and was scrunched up constantly, the sounds of sniffs making their through to Neji's ears. The plump bottom lip that Naruto loved to pout with was being held behind a pristine row of white front teeth, and the chin that he was holding onto was trembling from the effort of keeping sobs at bay.

Even when he was heartbroken, Naruto was beautiful.

A sharp gasp cut through the sudden still and cold air of the bedroom, and Neji took a while to realize that Naruto was trying his hardest to speak, trying his best to quell down his cries in order to get whatever Neji did not want to hear, ever, since the start of this relationship, out.

"Y-you're no-not t-the o-one th-that I-I wa-want, N-Neji," Naruto whispered, and as soon as those words left his lips, Neji's fist, the one that was holding onto his chin, met with his face.

Neji knew that Naruto was going to say those words. Neji had thought that he had prepared himself for that devastating blow, but with anger reeling through his veins at a much greater speed than he ever thought possible for a calm and collected guy like himself, Neji could not have held himself back even if he tried.

He didn't want his plan on ruining Sasuke Uchiha to backfire. He had planned it out so that it would have worked to his favor, and ended up breaking Sasuke so that he would have emerged the champion. He had thought that his plan was fool-proof, considering the fact about how loving he had been towards Naruto during the past 6 months. He had thought that the amount of attention and love that he had showed and given and showered Naruto with was enough to override that of Sasuke's 2-year's worth. He had thought that Naruto would finally wake up and realize that hey, Sasuke was the wrong choice, and Neji was the right one, and would finally crawl into his arms, making Neji's plan a success.

But no, in fact, Naruto had to go all crazy and unexpected on him, and ended up crawling back to his pathetic boyfriend, therefore successfully using Neji Neji _fucking_ Hyuuga had been used by the stupid and pathetic Naruto Uzumaki.

What a blow to his ego.

And before he could have even thought about stopping himself, Neji removed his fingers from Naruto's chin, clenched his fist as hard as he could, and slammed it into Naruto's pretty little face. He felt more than heard the satisfying crunch of Naruto's little button nose breaking, and the warmth that spread across his knuckles was no doubt Naruto's blood.

The knowledge of successfully hurting something that belonged to his rival, adrenaline started pumping through Neji's veins at an impossible pace. Having to hurt something/someone was one thing, but having to hurt something that was Uchiha property was another. It brought a thrill to Neji like no other; because he knew he was indirectly hurting and causing even more grief and sorrow for that bastard of an Uchiha

And that thought made Neji ecstatic.

A malicious grin seeped onto his face as Neji pulled back his fist and rammed it back into Naruto's face, making sure to hit his eye. Feeling the eyeball underneath his fingers push back into its socket brought Neji even deeper into the depths of insanity, as with each punch that he threw at the face of Sasuke's little fox, grew the hatred that he had towards the Uchiha.

Disregarding the pained cries that were let out from Naruto's pink lips, the wetness of the cheeks that he constantly attacked, the bruises along Naruto's eyes, jaw and nose, Neji continued abusing him, continued on with his actions, letting anger and insanity take the wheel of his mind, with it making no attempt at collecting itself and warning its owner about the possible consequences that could take place after this little episode was over.

Naruto had no idea what had happened and what was going on. At first he was being confronted by a calm, collected Neji, the Neji that he had 'loved', the Neji that helped him get rid of his insecurities and made him feel good and beautiful about himself. Not even two seconds later, his face was met with Neji's fist, only this time, this Neji was different. He was much more malicious, vicious, much more mad and insane than the Neji that he was used to. This Neji had completely lost all trace of reality and had lost his sanity. This Neji was much too deep into the pool of madness, and Naruto knew that if he didn't come out of it, or if he didn't get out of the way, he would get killed.

And right now, Naruto knew that the chances of him coming out alive were slowly dying down.

Feeling Neji's fist connect with his jaw, Naruto cried out in absolute pain and horror at feeling his jaw break, and along with the multiple attacked areas, like his eye and nose, Naruto was on the verge of losing his consciousness. He could see little black spots entering his vision, and he knew what it meant.

He could tell from experience after all.

Having been constantly a victim to bullying taught Naruto a lesson too many, and giving a memory too much to remember. Feeling the punches make contact with his face and various parts of his body brought back too many memories, which were often the main cause of his nightmares, back to his throbbing head. He knew he was going to go out like a light soon, but he had to stay awake. He had to. He still had issues to solve with Sasuke, who, he prayed to God, would give him a second chance.

Screaming at the top of his lungs when Neji punched his jaw again, Naruto prayed to God that Neji would stop, that he would at least be merciful enough to stop this madness, to at least have some pity on Naruto and just leave him be to suffer.

Apparently God had heard him, and Neji immediately stopped.

Neji looked over at the damage that he had done. Blood matted the bright blond locks down and the crystal-blue eyes were clenched shut, tears escaping the closed eyelids. Various purplish-blue-black marks littered the slender body, and Neji could see, as bright as day, the way Naruto's nose bent at an impossible angle, and the blood seeping through the crack of the bridge.

He wanted to punch Naruto even more, to hurt him even more, but he knew his limit. He had to draw the line at Naruto's point of consciousness and unconsciousness.

Feeling the adrenaline and excitement leave his body, to be replaced with sudden fear and panic, Neji's eyes immediately widened in shock at the sight before him. Finally registering in his head what exactly he had done, what his insanity and moment of pure madness had made him do, Neji's mouth hung agape as he could only stare helplessly at the prone and vulnerable figure at his knees.

The faint sound of Naruto's choked gasps and whimpers of pain barely registered themselves into Neji's mind, and he quickly got dressed and grabbed his cell, punching in the number for an ambulance immediately.

He wasn't a complete asshole; he knew that he had to take responsibility for his actions. But the Hyuuga name was a powerful one, and he was obviously not stupid enough to actually confess to his abuse to Naruto. He would just make up some believable lie that would convince the hospital staff enough for them to treat Naruto and not interrogate him.

_Yeah, that's what I'd do_, Neji thought to himself and immediately pressed the 'call' button, getting ready to put up the act of his lifetime.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hey guys! Thank you for reading, and if you've enjoyed reading this fanfic, then be sure to review! It would really make my day! The next chapter would probably come up soon, hopefully (because of my tight schedule, haha). Anyway, thank you so much for reading! If you don't like it, then just tell me how I can improve on my writing skills down in the reviews as well! Thanks again!


	3. Pain & Past

**You Hold My Heart In Your Paws**

_Chapter 3: Pain & Past_

**Disclaimer**: If I had owned Naruto, Sasuke & Naruto would have made out a looooong time ago.

* * *

Fumbling through his coat pockets for his car remote, Sasuke tried his very best to keep his tears and emotions in check. His vision was being blurred by the salty water that he was doing his all to keep from spilling over his bottom eyelashes, and the sudden frozen lump in his throat barely allowed any wind to pass through. Pulling back his bottom lip such that it was secured behind a perfect row of front pearly whites. He barely noticed the fact that his fists were still shaking from suppressed anger, what with the recent events that had just taken place taking too much room in his mind.

His Naruto, no, he could no longer call him his, if he really ever was his to begin with. Naruto, the one that he thought he could settle down with for the rest of his life, had gone and, without even having any second thoughts, went on ahead and slept with the one person that Sasuke loathed with his whole entire being. He had, in one swift moment, crushed Sasuke's heart, and broke it into a countless million pieces, pieces that would probably get lost within the dust. He had showed to Sasuke exactly who his heart had belonged to in that moment, right after the both of them had climaxed.

It still hurt.

Unsteadily trotting down the cement staircase of the 4th floor, Sasuke leaned heavily onto the wall for support, knowing full well that his feet did not possess the strength to actually hold him up while his mind tried to clear itself of its foggy state, and get Sasuke grounded back on Earth.

He had hoped with all of his soul that maybe, he had finally found true love, after being alone and lonely for the first 20 years of his life. He had prayed to God that he had finally found that one person, and thought that yes, he did, on his 21st birthday, where he thought that God had answered his prayer through Naruto.

_**FLASHBACK**_

It had been a terrible day for Sasuke, as he once again had been instructed by his father to help bag a client. He was supposed to be a big shot in the business world, being all loaded and arrogant, and if Uchiha Inc. could snag him, then it would only be to their benefit, in terms of finance, obviously.

He was an important client, one that would most definitely help Uchiha Inc. grow and prosper even more than it already did, and Sasuke Uchiha had been trusted by his own father, the CEO of the company, to get him. His father, the almighty Fugaku Uchiha, had finally asked Sasuke, who had often been shunned and kept in the shadows, with his brother often outshining him, was given the one chance to prove himself of the Uchiha name. He was finally asked, not his brother, the infamous Itachi Uchiha, to help their father in further developing their company.

For the first time in his life, Sasuke was put before his brother. He was finally given the chance to prove himself to his father, to finally make himself someone that his father would be proud to call his own flesh and blood, and Sasuke knew that he was not going to risk it.

Unconsciously, Sasuke wondered whether this 'mission' to bag this extremely important and highly wanted client was his father's rather… weird way of giving him a gift. A gift that would, if Sasuke let and if he had a say in it, would grant him respect and pride in his father's eyes, after 21 years of being looked down upon and often compared to his brother, who was labeled as 'flawless', 'perfect', 'a born prodigy'.

Sasuke was ecstatic. Upon hearing the rather sudden news that he had been, _specifically_, chosen by his own father, the head of his family and the company that he had slaved for the past 1 and a half years, to help him out with this particular client, he immediately went to work. Sasuke had never bothered to initiate any form of physical contact with anyone at work, even if it was just a simple handshake (unless the situation really called for it), that was why it had come as a great surprise to everyone who was in sight of the Uchiha as he hugged his secretary, a rather short and cold fiery red-head by the name of Gaara Sabaku, and sped off towards his office, leaving behind a flustered secretary and open-mouthed coworkers.

The thing that scared the employees of the high-and-mighty Sasuke Uchiha was that he was…_smiling_.

Sasuke Uchiha _never_ smiled.

Pulling open the French doors to his spacious office, Sasuke immediately slammed his leather briefcase down onto the wooden desk by his main glass office table, and immediately set to work.

He never recalled ever feeling as happy as he did then, excluding the moments when he spent with Naruto, and relished in the thought of finally being able to prove himself to his father, that all the time an effort that Sasuke had been putting into himself and the company would be worthwhile, and that thought had Sasuke completely absorbed into figuring out the best way to convince the stuck-up prick of a client that he was supposed to deal with later on in the day.

* * *

_12.34pm._

Sasuke pulled up his suit sleeve once again as he glanced nervously up at the black doors to the entrance of the meeting room. He was supposed to meet the client at the large conference room exactly four minutes ago. Glancing up the large circular clock at the top of the double doors and checking his phone countless times to confirm that his watch was not deceiving him, Sasuke got out all the necessary documents needed for his little presentation with Mr. Client.

Reading and re-reading his notes and papers to double check and to double confirm that he had the right information, and that the text was written in a rather persuasive and convincing tone, Sasuke fiddled about nervously with his cufflinks whilst simultaneously keeping an eye on the doors.

"Why yes, thank you very much, Mr…?" Sasuke heard the muffled deep voice that no doubt belonged to a man flitter and echo about the corridors of the conference room. Furrowing his eyebrows in thought, Sasuke tried his very best to identify exactly to whom that voice belonged to. He mentally scanned through his various employees and debated whether they were about to enter and ask him some dumb question that they, as Uchiha Inc. employees, should know. But, before Sasuke could get up off of his black leather swivel chair and shout at the pathetic excuse of a coworker, Sasuke paused and thought through again.

He barely ever communicated with his subordinates, and didn't really bother about them when they were giving their presentations and reports, unless he really had to be paying attention or if some other important client was with them at that current time, so he himself couldn't be too sure whether the person outside of the door really was his employee.

Deciding to play safe and keep a low profile, Sasuke waited patiently for the voices to draw nearer, and maybe help him in identifying who exactly this person was. He knew the name of the client that he was supposed to meet, but the thing is, Sasuke himself had never met him before, and a fleeting thought of maybe he was just about to meet the man that would decide how Sasuke's father would finally view his son, Sasuke immediately straightened himself and smoothened out his appearance, getting and doing his best to look as presentable and professional as he possibly could.

"Hyuuga, Neji Hyuuga."

Sasuke immediately froze in his actions.

_What the fuck in Heaven's name was Neji fucking Hyuuga doing in Uchiha Inc.?! _

"Oh, right! Thank you Mr. Hyuuga, I may have to speak with the representative of Uchiha Inc. regarding my sudden change in decision, if you would so kindly as to wait out here for a little while. I'll just have a few short words with them and I'll be right out." Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened just a teensy bit.

He waited with baited breath as the wooden doors to the conference room creaked open, and in came in the client that Sasuke was supposed to bag, that Sasuke was supposed to bag and to finally prove to his father that he was worthy of the Uchiha name, and worthy of being called his own son, his own flesh and blood.

A rather short and round man came into the room, the thin layer of hair on his head swept neatly to the side. His elongated nose was sporting a rather large mole, and his narrow moustache curtained the center of the top of his thin, slightly frowning lips. His chin was tilted so high up into the air that Sasuke actually had difficulty maintaining eye contact with him.

As soon as he entered the room, or should we say, opened the door just a crack for his upper body to fit through, Sasuke stood up with as much elegance and poise as he could muster, hoping that his towering height was enough to radiate off his authority, and enough to warn the stout man that Sasuke Uchiha was not a man to be messed around with.

"Good afternoon, Mr—," before Sasuke could even address his client, the one person who would later on, if he let, decide Sasuke's future here in Uchiha Inc., Mr. Client rudely interrupted him.

"Ah, yes, I'm so sorry Mr…" the client let his sentence dangle free in the air, hoping, with a cocked eyebrow and in all his arrogant being that Sasuke got the hint to introduce himself.

Sasuke was flabbergasted. He was the son of one of the world's greatest business typhoons, yet this man, who was supposedly a big shot and rather important person in the business industry, couldn't recognize him? He had appeared alongside his father in countless advertisements on television, on the radio, on newspapers, on billboard signs and even magazines, yet he was not recognizable to the one person that Sasuke thought would have recognized him almost immediately?

"Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke provided his name and watched as the face of his supposed client did not change. There was not a single flash of recognition, a slight widening of the eyes, the opening of the mouth, even by a fraction.

Nope, none.

This man before him had absolutely no idea who Sasuke was. He hadn't even recognized him. Nothing showed that he at least heard of a 'Sasuke' before in his entire life. His round face remained impassive and void of emotion as he simply stared back down at Sasuke, even though Sasuke was nearly twice his height.

Sasuke was utterly humiliated. He had never thought that the one man, whom he believed could change his entire future and that of the company, would not have heard of him before. He had tried his hardest to shine, even just a fraction of that of his father would have been good, and Sasuke thought that yes, he had shined, that yes, he was a recognized man throughout the business industry, that yes, people would immediately know who he was and what authority he held and had at the mere mention of his first name.

But his efforts still rendered futile.

Gazing back into the black, proud eyes of the short man at the door, Sasuke blankly listened to his deep voice, and the occasional squeak that would accompany it. The words that left those dragged-down lips of his client whizzed past his head, but only a few managed to register themselves into Sasuke's head.

'_Last minute change', 'going over to Hyuuga Corp.', 'presentation was fantastic', 'no time to lose'_.

Watching, dumbfounded, as the door closed and the stout man left the conference room, Sasuke could only sink back into his chair and stare blankly at the piles of various documents, that he had worked so painstakingly hard on, as he went by and replayed the day's events in his mind.

He was supposed to meet up and snag a seemingly important client that could very well help in successfully getting Uchiha Inc. to overrun their rivaling business with Hyuuga Corp., get him to finally shine in his father's eyes, to make him proud to call him his own son. This client that had left barely five minutes ago was supposed to make Sasuke's life change and turn for the better, seeing as how he could have been a much more respected man by his fellow colleagues and superiors. This client could have been , no, he _was_ the key to securing Sasuke's place as the heir of the company.

But it all went down the drain.

All because of one fucking _Neji Hyuuga._

God, how Sasuke loathed that man.

Due to him, Uchiha Inc. had lost one very precious and corporate-changing client, one that could help Uchiha Inc. take the world over by storm. Due to him, Sasuke had lost his chance at finally proving himself to his father, after 21 long years of always constantly being 'second-best'. Due to him, Sasuke would probably always remain at the same level as his own employees in his father's eyes.

It hurt to even think of being labeled as 'One of the Little Ants of Uchiha Inc.'. It was a big blow to his ego, considering the fact that it was his own father that was running the business, but he, the son, had to be working with one of and as a 'little ant'.

How Sasuke wanted to scream and lash out at that pale-eyed male, to just rip that pretentious smirk off of his face and let Neji's face make friends with his fist. He had waited all 21 years of his life, waiting for that one moment when he knew that he would be able to prove himself worthy enough of being an Uchiha, of upholding the highly respected Uchiha name, and when that moment was finally presented to him on a silver platter, fucking _Neji Hyuuga_, of all the 7 billion people in the world, had to come right in and swoop his chance away, like how an eagle were to capture its prey.

Seeing as how his first and probably last chance to prove himself to his father was taken from right underneath his nose, Sasuke clenched his eyes shut and slammed his fists down repeatedly against the large ovular conference table.

Life hated him, he was sure of it.

* * *

Slamming the door to his Porsche shut, Sasuke stormed up the stairs to his 3rd storey apartment, trying his very best to keep his anger and utter self-disappointment in control. He fumbled in his pockets for his keys, and once he successfully gotten them out from the confinement of his coat pocket, he rammed it into the doorknob and angrily shoved at the door whilst twisting the knob with as much force as he could muster.

He was so completely overtaken with rage and blinded with fury, alongside the self-disappointment eating at his insides that Sasuke could barely bring himself to care about anything else other than a long, hot shower and a good night's sleep.

Things after the sudden dismissal of the client didn't go smoothly, as Sasuke had prayed to the Gods to go by. The sudden empty feeling of disappointing, gravely and officially, his father was eating at his very soul, and Sasuke couldn't bring himself to step out of the conference room and go up to the highest floor, where the main office of his father was held at, and explain, humiliatingly, what had just taken place at the conference room.

Apparently, he didn't even have to move from where he was from, because exactly three minutes later, it was his own father, the man that he had failed yet again, who was barging through the doors, looking utterly _livid_.

"What is this _absurd_ rumor that I've just heard?! Neji Hyuuga, from that _blasted_ Hyuuga Corp., was walking on _our_ territory, walking alongside the client that I had clearly instructed and trusted _you_ enough to bag?!" The booming, rumbling voice of Fugaku echoed and rebounded off of the walls of the rather large conference room. Sasuke's head was ringing, and even though the room was rather spacious, he suddenly felt suffocated, as though the room did not allow him the ability to breathe freely.

"_SASUKE_!" The said man visibly flinched at the sound of his father's voice being directed only, specifically, at him, and he immediately stood up straight and braced himself for the barrage of questions that he knew his father would no doubt be firing at him.

"What is the meaning of this? Is it true? Where is the client? Where are the papers? You did seal the deal, didn't you?" Fugaku just rattled on and on, firing questions about what should have had happened instead of what did happen. Sasuke didn't know how to face his father after he told him the truth of exactly what had happened, much less answer him.

Uchiha Inc. and lost to Hyuuga Corp. once again.

All because of Sasuke's inability to snag _one_ client.

Fugaku abruptly stopped, and could only stare wide-eyed at his son before him, as he relayed what had happened not just ten minutes ago in the conference room to his father. During the entire explanation, Sasuke kept his unfocused gaze on the floor, where his feet were, unable to meet the gaze of his father, the one who he had disappointed, yet again.

After listening closely to the emotionless explanation of his son, Fugaku was obviously not happy, and had immediately stormed out of the room and back up to his main office, angrily flipping of anybody who dared to even approach him in his fury-enhanced state.

Knowing that he had let his father down for the nth time in his entire life, Sasuke had allowed himself to wallow in self-pity and let his hatred towards a certain Hyuuga manifest and swallow him whole as he scourged through the rest of the day's work. He never bothered to initiate or sustain a single conversation throughout the rest of the day, even when his secretary, the only person Sasuke even considered close enough to be a friend, talked to him.

Sasuke had completely shut himself out, and Gaara knew that it would be a while for him to open back up again.

* * *

Angrily slamming his fist against the aged wood of the door repeatedly, Sasuke finally let his tears fall.

He had failed yet again.

He had failed as a son, as an employee, and as a future leader of the company that he sacrificed so much of his well-being for. But the one thought and utterly sudden realization that hurt him the most was that he had failed, and disappointed his _father_…_again_.

Resting his forehead against the cold wood, Sasuke clenched his eyes painfully shut, while gripping onto the silver-painted doorknob, so hard that his knuckles turned white from the amount of effort he was putting into holding onto it. Sasuke allowed his body to completely let go of reality, for just a few minutes, in order to release the day's pent-up frustrations; at the client, at his father, at Neji, and especially at _himself_.

All he ever wanted to do was to prove to his father, for once in his entire life, that he was good enough, but no. Life hated him so much that it couldn't even give him that.

If it had been anyone else other than Neji, Sasuke might have been at least a little less depressed. But upon realizing the fact that it was Neji whom he had lost to, the one person with whom he was constantly on par with, the one person who always demanded the most, and possibly all of Sasuke, every single damn time, Sasuke's self-hatred and self-disappointment just grew in on itself and he completely broke down.

Sasuke's mind barely registered the fact that the door to his own apartment was being creaked open from the inside. At that moment, being murdered by a burglar that broke into his house would have been perfect, considering the fact that Sasuke wanted nothing more than to be wiped off of the Earth at that very instant, seeing as how he couldn't possibly imagine living and ever getting over this humiliation, this embarrassment.

Feeling much more than seeing, Sasuke barely got it through his head that he was now leaning on someone, someone much shorter and smaller than him, and he had a fleeting thought in his brain that this person would collapse from the weight and build of Sasuke, whom he/she was supporting. Feeling the day's exhaustion finally catch up with him, Sasuke let his eyes slide closed, and leaned his whole entire weight onto his only current support, the only person that was holding him up right then, even though he didn't know who it was.

At least he had someone.

* * *

Groaning slightly at how stuffed his head was feeling, Sasuke rolled onto his side and buried his face under the pillow, wanting for the incoming headache to just dissipate and never torture him.

_Wait, pillow?_ Sasuke immediately shot up, not recalling any memory of him actually making his way onto his bed, much less sleeping in it, dressed in only his boxers. He blinked a couple of times, trying his best to get rid of the sleep-haze that his mind and eyes were still in, and thought back to the day's events and activities.

As soon as Sasuke's brain caught up with what was actually happening and what had happened, his hands immediately shot up from where they were once laying at (by his sides), and covered his face, the previous feelings of utter humiliation getting the best of him. He vaguely remembered depending on someone to hold him up when he had reached his front door, but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to care.

Constantly replaying the day's events again and again in his head, Sasuke couldn't help but scream. To scream out every ounce of pain that he felt at letting his father down, at being beaten by Neji Hyuuga in terms of bagging one pathetic client, in terms of losing his chance at becoming an at least 'acceptable' son by his own father.

Grabbing the nearest pillow and throwing it at a random direction in the room, Sasuke once again broke down, only this time there were no tears. They were all being held back, because Sasuke knew that he could not afford to lose his male pride. It was the only thing that he had left that was keeping him grounded. Without his usual cocky pride, Sasuke wouldn't have anything else left in him, and Sasuke never wanted to experience that.

He let his head hang low, arms and shoulders completely slumped and limp at his sides, as he willed with all his might for his tears to not fall and just go back to where they came from, and blocked out all the sounds around him.

Naruto could only stare blankly at the lone toned figure on the bed. He had no idea whatsoever as to what could have made Sasuke so upset, and what he could do to go around it. He didn't want his plans for the night to be ruined; he had planned everything perfectly after all.

It was his boyfriend's 21st birthday, the day he officially became an adult, and Naruto had gone out of his way to make it the best birthday that his perfect boyfriend could ever have in his whole entire life, including his future. He had bought for Sasuke a gift, one that he knew his boyfriend would like, but at that very point of time Naruto was at a loss of what to do. How could he go about and get rid of the moody and upsetting aura around his boyfriend, in order for him to at least be happy with Naruto, even if it was just a short while?

Watching his boyfriend collapse in on himself was heartbreaking in Naruto's eyes, and he knew for a fact that he couldn't stand to watch him behave this way any longer. It was his birthday, and Naruto was going to make sure, by hook or by crook, that Sasuke damn well enjoyed it.

Nodding determinedly to himself, Naruto plucked up his courage and silently approached his boyfriend of one year. With each step that Naruto took towards Sasuke, his resolve hardened and grew even more than before. He was going to fix this mess, even if he had to go days without sleep or anything that was considered a necessity for a human. He was going to fix it, and he was going to do everything that was in his power to see the smile that he loved, appear on his boyfriend's face once again.

As soon as Naruto reached the foot of the bed, he cautiously and slowly reached out a feminine hand, and lightly held and laced his small fingers with that of the long, limp ones of his boyfriend.

The skin-on-skin contact broke Sasuke out of the daze he was in, and snapped his blank stare up towards the one person who dared to make physical contact with him. But upon laying his eyes on that of his blond lover, Sasuke visibly relaxed, and his eyes softened at the realization that it was Naruto who was in his house, it was Naruto who had supported him, quite literally, earlier that day, and it was Naruto who was doing his best to try to cheer Sasuke up, even if it's just by a little.

Taking in a deep breath and tilting his head backwards toward to orange glow of the setting sun, Sasuke pushed back his tears and smiled. "I should have known it was you." Slowly opening his eyes, Sasuke locked gazes with the blue-eyed one that he loved the most, and he clenched his fingers even tighter around the smaller ones in his palm, practically swallowing the tanned hand.

The returning serene smile that Naruto gave back to him was enough to make Sasuke's heart flutter about and around his chest, making him almost gasp at exactly how beautiful and ethereal his boyfriend looked at that current moment; the setting sun's orangey-pink glow reflecting off of his golden strands settled in a messy mop at the top of his head, the way his eyes seemed to be indigo instead of blue, shaded by the sun's fading rays.

He looked like an angel.

Wanting nothing more than to kiss those lips of his boyfriend's, Sasuke dove towards Naruto's inviting lips and wrapped his arms around him, keeping him in an extremely tight embrace, not wanting to let go. Closing his eyes, Sasuke relished in the feel of his lips against Naruto's own soft ones, making sure that he kept it light, and didn't go on any deeper, knowing that his boyfriend wasn't quite ready yet.

Wrapping his own slim arms around Sasuke's neck, Naruto continued to press and move his lips against Sasuke's, playfully nipping at his lower lips and giving the occasional suck. Naruto knew full well what he was initiating, and he knew damn well that it was about time they took their relationship one step further. He knew that Sasuke was tired of waiting, and he also knew that, deep down in his heart, Sasuke was the one. The one that he was going to be spending the rest of his life with, and he was therefore willing to give his body, his virginity to Sasuke, knowing full well how much it would mean to him, and how much it would mean to their relationship.

He trusted Sasuke, and it was about damn time that he made it official.

Reluctantly pulling away from the playful meeting of lips, Naruto whimpered at the loss of warmth, but little sacrifices like these had to be made in order to make room for something much greater and pleasuring. Naruto laid his forehead against his boyfriend's and showed exactly how much he wanted him, wanted Sasuke Uchiha, right then and there.

Opening his eyes in confusion at the sudden loss of the feel of Naruto's lips against his, Sasuke looked at his boyfriend, showing his confusion through his eyes, and involuntarily gasped. There, bright as day, clearly written and screaming out from the blue oceanic depths, was the unadulterated lust and pure want and sexual need that Naruto was harboring for the Uchiha. The blue orbs were dilated, showing only a sliver of cerulean, and Sasuke nearly moaned at the most extreme and sexiest come-hither look he had ever seen in his entire life.

And it was directed at _him_, by his boyfriend, the one that he had not only loved, but lusted after for quite some time.

"Are you sure you want this?" Sasuke gasped out, the sudden rise in temperature of the room disabling him from voicing his thoughts at a louder and/or higher pitch. He felt that if he did, he was going to be breaking this special and crucial relationship-changing moment, and he did not want that to happen.

But that reason was only secondary to what Sasuke really felt. They were both virgins, and although Sasuke was a little knowledgeable in the area and 'art' of homo-sex, it was pretty damn obvious to him that Naruto wasn't. Naruto was the epitome of a naïve virgin, and he, no matter how ridiculous it sounded, did not want to take advantage of him and ruin that status of his. Naruto was obviously going to bottom, and first times were never usually memorable. It often hurt, and Sasuke did not want Naruto to be hurt in any form or way possible. He would hunt down and kill the person that dared to even think about inflicting any damage, be it physically or emotionally, onto his precious person.

Naruto, clearly knowing what Sasuke was worried and getting all panicky over, simply smiled, that breath-taking, serene smile, and, pushing himself up using his hips, brought his lips towards Sasuke's again. Whispering a quiet 'Yes' that was only meant for the both of them to hear, Naruto immediately closed the gap between them, and sealed their little deal for the night.

* * *

Waking up the next morning, Sasuke had felt a thousand times better than he ever had before. Taking note of their state of (un)dress, the messy and stained sheets, as well as the blond angel laying over his chest, with his head tucked securely under his chin, Sasuke's heart immediately burst in joy.

He had finally managed to secure his relationship between himself and Naruto, and he could not have been happier. Knowing full well that even if he was having the worst days imaginable, his little blond ray of sunshine that was now using him as a pillow, would always be there for him, regardless of whatever that happens.

Naruto loved him, and had told him that countless times just the previous night.

And as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Sasuke fell even more in love with Naruto, if that was even possible.

* * *

"Happy belated birthday, Sasuke," Naruto chirped as he presented to Sasuke the little gift that he had bought for his boyfriend. It was a small cardboard box that was messily wrapped in loud, bright orange wrapping paper, and Sasuke immediately knew that Naruto himself had wrapped it, considering the thick layers of sticky tape haphazardly placed everywhere, and the little spots of brown cardboard that still could be seen dotting the gift.

But Sasuke made no mind not attention to that, as he carefully peeled open the sorry excuse for wrapping paper, and opened up the mini cardboard box, and his eyes immediately widened at the sight before him. At the bottom of the cardboard box, there was a pendant of some sort.

Slowly reaching his hand deep into the confines of the box, Sasuke watched bemused as his boyfriend visibly fidgeted, anxiously wanting to know what Sasuke had thought of his gift. Deciding to save him from dying of anxiety, Sasuke pulled the items out of the box and took his time to examine them carefully.

The pendant was that of a silver half heart, with a blue crystal, much similar to the shade of Naruto's eyes when he was facing the sun, was in its center. There was a tiny hook at the top right of it that enabled for a thin silver chain to be put through, so that it could either be worn as a necklace or a keychain.

However, what he didn't get was why it was only half a heart.

Glancing up at his boyfriend expectantly, Sasuke raised a questioning brow and motioned towards the pendant, silently asking his question that he didn't bother saying out loud, only to realize that Naruto himself was fumbling for something in his pockets.

After countless fruitless attempts at patting his pockets and digging through his jacket, Naruto found exactly what he was looking for and fished it out of its recesses, and Sasuke's eyes widened at the sheer beauty and significance of what the both of them held in their hands.

In Naruto's tiny palm was a half-heart, similar to that of Sasuke, being the exact same size just that I was laterally inverted. It was gold in color, and in the center of it laid a midnight black pendant that turned a distinct and rather unique shade of grey when exposed to sunlight.

Lightly grasping hold of the hand that held his pendant's other half; he gently pried open Sasuke's fingers and took the silver half heart out of his lax hold. Moving from sitting across from Sasuke to settling on his lap, Naruto sat with his back towards Sasuke's chest and instructed for Sasuke to hold the back of his hands, whilst Naruto's own hands guided theirs into forming a heart shape using the two pendants.

As soon as the insides of both pendants made contact with one another, they seemed to have been locked firmly into place, and both Sasuke and Naruto could only watch transfixed and in awe at the pure magnificence that was in right in front of them, as they watched the swirling colors of both gold and silver mix and form beautiful ripples all around the little heart. The movement of the colored ink, as Sasuke believed them to be, caused a sudden reaction in the two stones that were put into the separate centers of the pendants, and they both started to glow a very bright white, but it wasn't blinding enough such that it hurt to look at.

It really was beautiful.

Breaking his gaze from that of the seemingly unreal beauty before his very eyes, Sasuke turned his head to face that of his boyfriend's, who's eyes seemed glazed over as soon as they landed on the enthralling jewel that he held, clasped in his nimble fingers.

Leaning forward such that their foreheads came into contact with each other, Sasuke covered Naruto's hands with his own, silently voicing out a question. He knew that there was a much deeper meaning to the gift than Naruto was letting on, and he also knew that whatever this gift meant, it would greatly affect and be a part of their relationship, in the future.

And Sasuke was itching to find out just what it was.

Taking notice of the way Sasuke's eyes seemed to be begging for Naruto to explain the significance of this gift, Naruto lightly smiled and pulled the pendant out of their grip. As soon as it was back in the open, Naruto gently pried the two halves of the heart open, and the halves immediately went back to their original coloring, gold and onyx, silver and blue.

Sasuke could only watch fascinated at the sheer wonder of it all, and he silently took back his half of the heart, the silver heart with the blue gem.

"The one that you're holding in your hand right now is meant to represent you, silver, and me, blue. I chose silver because it symbolizes wealth, and you are practically loaded with cash right now and probably for the rest of your life. Not only that, but it also symbolizes the moon, a beauty in itself. The moon rarely gets to shine, some days hiding by itself in the dark violet of the night skies, and only on rare occasions does it come out, and that's when everybody takes notice of exactly how beautiful it really is, of exactly how wonderful it really is, and on these occasions is when people really appreciate the moon, and show and realize their genuine love for it,"

"Kind of like you, Sasuke. Your life and the way you have lived it could have been reflected in a single cycle of the moon. In the first part, the moon itself will hide, not revealing itself to anyone, just like you. You have constantly been outshined by your own brother, and have more often than not hiding yourself and brooding in one corner of the room or another. Then, when we finally started to get to know each other, you slowly began to open up, more each time we met up, like the moon when it goes from its first quarter to its third quarter. It was during this time when the people around you slowly got used to you, and slowly started appreciating you for what and who you are, and it was during this time that I had fallen in love with you."

Gazing back down at their joined hands, Naruto let a small, peaceful grin take over his lips as he reminisced about the time that he had started to fall in love with his boyfriend.

**_FLASHBACK_**

It was during high school, when Sasuke had yet again had to come in and rescue Naruto from being beaten into a complete and bloody pulp by the bullies that just loved to make his life a living hell. Usually, Sasuke would have only broke them apart, easily, if I may add, considering his height advantage, but that day, he had been completely different. Sasuke had been unusually and uncharacteristically _livid_, if the feral and almost insane look on his face was anything to go by. When Naruto himself had looked at his eyes, there was no trace of any sanity, just pure, outright madness, and in Sasuke's fury-enhanced state, he had managed to not only teaching the bullies a lesson that they would learn and keep in the recesses of their mind for the rest of their pathetic lives, but had successfully managed to land 3 out of the 5 of them in the hospital.

Those in the hospitals were put in the ICU, and those that managed to come out looking not-quite-as-dead as the rest, were definitely emotionally scarred, and they visibly flinched whenever they took notice of the Uchiha from that they on, often peeing in their pants while doing so.

Sasuke had been satisfied with the result, even though he almost had to be put in Juvenile Detention. But, similar to the Hyuuga name, the Uchiha name was much too powerful, and Sasuke easily evaded the severe consequences that anyone else but an Uchiha and Hyuuga would have faced for their actions.

Naruto, however, had been extremely upset and angry, at both Sasuke and himself, for countless days straight. Sure, he was glad that those assholes didn't pick on him any longer, he was free to move about the school without having to worry about sporting a broken rib or two on the way back home. However, he was depressed over the fact that because of him, because of inability to protect himself from those sad excuses of human beings, Naruto had almost ruined Sasuke's future. He had almost put him in the bad light, successfully ruining the Uchiha image that Sasuke's family worked and sweated their asses off to bring it to where it was now.

He was also mad at Sasuke for protecting him, was mad at Sasuke for having to swoop right in and risk his whole entire future and the rest of his life for someone as insignificant as Naruto.

It was Naruto's own fault that he almost destroyed Sasuke, and how he loathed himself then for that. However, when the self-hatred and anger towards both himself and Sasuke began to slowly die down, thoughts of as to why Sasuke did what he did began festering themselves into Naruto's mind. He was itching and dying to know why, so that he could practically scream in Sasuke's face for doing what he had done, something that he clearly should not have and should never even bother doing.

When Sasuke was confronted with a barrage of questions by a heavily-sobbing Naruto, who was inflicting more self-damage through his questions than to Sasuke, Sasuke just stood there impassively, waiting for Naruto to let off all his steam before he began to calmly and slowly let out the truth of his actions (although not the entire truth, just part of it).

"Before I get into the details of my course of action, I want you to promise me that you will never say those things about yourself again, is that clear, Uzumaki?" Sasuke growled out his demand as his mind replayed the rather painful way Naruto described himself out to be. Insignificant, pathetic, worthless, waste of space, weak, useless, were the few of many various adjectives that Naruto had described himself out to be.

Sasuke hated it.

Naruto could only stare back in shock and nod his head dumbly before Sasuke continued on. And as soon as Sasuke had uttered those few words, those few words that meant so much to Naruto, the insignificant and pathetic Naruto, and Naruto knew that he had officially, clearly, obviously, fallen in love with his best friend.

"You're amazing, spectacular, stunning, enchanting, and outright magnificent. You're rare to find in this sorry excuse of a world, and it's about time people and you yourself finally realized. You're beautiful, Naruto, and something beautiful, no matter what it is, should never ever get broken. I never want that happening to you."

* * *

Slowly sinking back in to reality, Naruto gazed back deeply into Sasuke's eyes, finding himself getting lost in the deep, endless pools of midnight black that he loved. A faint smile painted Sasuke's face, and that slight uplifting of the corners of his lips had Naruto falling deeper in love with the man before him. The slight tilt of the pale lips completely changed Sasuke's face, and he positively glowed. The image of that handsome face of his pierced through the hazy recesses of Naruto's mind, snapping him back into reality and hinting for him to get on with his story.

Heaving out a contented sigh in just being in his Sasuke's embrace, Naruto closed his eyes and continued. "And when you finally reach the last stage, when you finally shine and just glow, bathing everyone in the pale moonlight that would seem ghostly if done by others, but completely natural and unrealistically beautiful when done by you, that's when people realize exactly who you are, and what you are made of. The days when I truly get to see the real, complete you are very rare and far in between, Sasuke, but that is just what that makes it all the more special and often looked-forward to, and I love you for that,"

"The times when the world truly gets to see you last for only short whiles, and only on very special occasions, like special events, dates that mean a lot to us, be it in a positive or negative way. I wished that I could actually get to see more of you, though, more of this real Sasuke. But it's okay, I love you for what and who you are, I don't want you changing."

"The blue gem is to represent me, as they're the color of my eyes. So that wherever you go, you'll always have something of me to remind you of me, and that we'll never forget about us, no matter how far apart we are from each other, no matter how long it'll take for us to meet again."

Leaning forward to seek out the lips of his beloved, Sasuke made sure to only keep it light and chaste, while at the same time pouring all of his swimming and bursting emotions into that one kiss, hoping that he got his message across, showing Naruto exactly how thankful and grateful he was for the extremely meaningful gift.

Reluctantly pulling away simultaneously, Naruto pulled out his own half of the heart, and unconsciously smiled as he ran his thumb over the black gem that was situated in the center of it.

"Black is when all the colors are mixed together, where there is a little bit of everything if one were to look closely enough. Like you, Sasuke. You're a little bit of everything, although you more reserved side often takes the wheel, you have shown me everything I could have possibly wanted in the love of my life, and that's why you're perfect to me, that's why the color black is the perfect color to me. It also symbolizes the unknown and is mysterious, kind of like you as well. You're so impassive and emotional in the past that you could have been the epitome of 'Mystery', and you still are to me, but that's what I love about you. Black also means and represents elegance and power. The elegance that you take everywhere with you, be it in public or even when it's just the two of us. Never once have I seen you stumble down so ungracefully. You always seem to be able to be in complete control over every little thing in your little world, Sasuke, and it's an honorable trait to have. The power being an Uchiha has given you an authority that many people crumble under, and the power of your love that you hold over me, and I love you even more for that."

Naruto traced his index finger along the contours of the gold, and smiled a small smile. He only bought the gold one because he felt that it matched the silver one of his boyfriend, but Sasuke knew better. It was by pure coincidence that Naruto had bought for himself the color that he obviously represented, and Sasuke was about to tell him just that.

"The color gold fits you perfectly." At the confused gaze that met with his as soon as those words left his lips, Sasuke chuckled and wrapped his arms tighter around his boyfriend. "It symbolizes both wealth and endurance, just that this wealth is a little different from the one that silver represents. This wealth refers to your wealth in terms of joy, happiness, and love. You are always constantly happy, looking only on the bright side of things and constantly switching and changing the negatives such that they work into your favor. You are constantly spreading this joy and love that you possess too much of, and your happiness is extremely contagious. Anyone within a five-meter radius of you would immediately feel better, even if it's just by a little, at having just one look at you, and that radiant smile of yours. You're the epitome of happiness, Naruto; you're the reason for _my_ happiness."

Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend even more tightly, Sasuke hooked his chin over Naruto's left shoulder and planted a light kiss at the hollow juncture between Naruto's neck and shoulder, where he knew Naruto was once injured at, because of one devastating kick that one of the assholes (bullies) had landed on Naruto, and Sasuke clenched his eyes shut at the memory as it flittered by his head. "You have endured so much pain, so much torture, so much self-loathing and self-disappointment, all of which you did not deserve, that you've morphed into a beauty right before my eyes, and you don't know how much I love and respect you for that."

Leaning his own blond head against that of his lover, Naruto had completely no idea that Sasuke could relate him so much to a color that he had picked on a whim.

"Gold also symbolizes the energy of the sun, as well as confidence and courage. You're basically the sun, personified, and you're always radiating off your own ray of sunlight, your own beam of light. You are the light to my world Naruto, please don't ever forget that." Tilting Naruto's head around, Sasuke kissed the little button nose that just demanded to be paid attention to. Smiling to himself at hearing the giggle that erupted from Naruto's throat, Sasuke continued on ahead. "You are always so confident about yourself, always knowing your weak and strong points, and constantly improving yourself to minimize the weak ones. You are courageous enough to stand up for yourself and people weaker than you, always constantly offering a helping hand, even if it meant several sacrifices on your part. You are daring enough to try out new things, to explore new territories and tread on dangerous waters, for the sake of someone else. You're courageous enough to even venture into the depths and dangerous territory of the much less sane people that you have come across in your life, and I respect you so much for that. No one else's courage could rival that of yours, Naruto, and believe me when I say that you've got more balls than I do sometimes." Whipping his head around so fast to stare into his lover's bemused expression, Naruto could only widen his eyes in shock as Sasuke blurted out one of his secrets.

"A-are you serious, Sasuke?" Naruto whispered out, and at the slight nod that he received, Naruto turned back his body and immediately fell back into his boyfriend's chest.

"And, quoting your words, 'I love you for what and who you are, I don't want you changing'." Sasuke whispered out and let the calm serene quietness take over them once again. Naruto tried his best to wrap around the sudden thought and knowledge of knowing that his boyfriend was actually envious of him in one way, and it seemed almost unreal to Naruto.

Having to hear those words from his boyfriend, and how he described him to be, Naruto's love for the Uchiha only continued to grow, and when the love that he held at that moment for the Uchiha was threatening to burst and collapse in on itself, Naruto knew then and there that Sasuke was the one.

Closing his eyes and planting a light kiss at the corner of his bastard's lips, Naruto once again put the two pendant halves together, watching in amazement once again as the silver and gold mixed together beautifully, while the gems both started to glow an identical shade of pure white.

"And when we're together, that's when we're both unstoppable." At hearing the voice of Sasuke echo about the silent room, Naruto glanced up, only to look back down at their joined hands, where Sasuke's pale fingers were gently stroking the soft skin of his knuckles.

"We balance each other out, kind of like the sun and the moon, like gold and silver. We're both wonderful on our own already, but when the both of us come together, that's when we're truly magnificent, that's when we're truly beautiful, because we've finally got each other," Naruto whispered and glanced back up at his boyfriend.

Smiling and reaching into his jeans pocket once more, Naruto pulled out two identical looking chains of silver and gold each. Hooking the silver pendant through the gold chain, Naruto instructed for Sasuke to lean in closer, and successfully clipping and securing the now-necklace around the long, pale neck of his boyfriend. Naruto giggled at the bright red hickeys that he saw were dotting the pale column of Sasuke's neck, relishing in the memories that they provided, but managed to keep them down to a minimum so as to not ruin the special moment between the two of them.

Sasuke slowly pried open Naruto's fingers and took the golden pendant from his small palm, and attached it to the silver chain that was hanging limply from Naruto's wrist, and did the same thing to him as what Naruto had done.

Looking down at the identical half-heart pendants hanging around their necks, and the symbolic meaning that they hold behind them, Sasuke and Naruto glanced up at each other and locked gazes, smoldering onyx clashing with swirling blue.

A simultaneous "I love you," left the lips of both occupants of the room, and the both of them had never felt more loved than they did at that very moment, and the both of them knew for a fact that they had found their 'One', and the previous day's upsetting events were all pushed to the back of Sasuke's mind.

Right then and there, the only thing that mattered to him was Naruto.

His Naruto.

* * *

Knocking himself out of his painful trip down memory lane, Sasuke Uchiha clambered down the remaining flights of stairs hastily, doing his best to loosen his tie and unbutton his top collar button, just so that he could reach into his shirt and pull the damned, suddenly too heavy pendant off of his neck. But after repeated failed attempts, Sasuke simply didn't bother and decided that he'd get rid of it as soon as he was more emotionally stable, and able to think a little bit more clearly.

Sasuke's hazed mind was still swimming about in its own mess, and Sasuke had a fleeting thought at the back of his mind that maybe he should wait until he was calmer before he headed down the road in his car. But, as soon as he remembered where he was, and exactly what had happened not too long ago, Sasuke clutched at his chest, where his heart was clenching so painfully that Sasuke doubted whether or not he would ever be able to have a regularly functioning heart ever again.

His vision was constantly being blurred by the tears that kept streaming down his face, refusing to let up and at least give him some of his vision so that he could get out of that damned place, but no, his tears refused to stop flowing, his sobs refused to be quieted down, and the pathetic and stubborn lump in his throat prevented him from breathing regularly.

Stumbling through the entrance towards the apartment building, Sasuke half-ran, half-walked and made his way towards his car, fumbling in his pockets for the car remote, so that he could save himself the pain and trouble from having to stay in this hell hole any longer.

As soon as he felt the familiar material wrap around his fingers, Sasuke yanked it out of his pocket and immediately unlocked his car, yanking the door open and, for once in his life, threw all thoughts of maintaining a good image out of his mind and ungracefully got the driver's seat, making sure to slam the door extra hard, just like he did back at Nar— that slut's apartment.

_I can't even say his name._

Turning on the ignition and gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were turning white with the sheer effort; Sasuke stepped on the pedal and immediately zoomed out of the car park. He had no idea where he was supposed to go. If things had gone according to plan, Sasuke would have been in the car with him—

A pained, choked sob escaped the refines of Sasuke's throat.

If he hadn't had come earlier, if he had actually arrived at the supposed meeting time, he would still have been in a relationship with Naruto. He still would have been with Naruto, holding him, touching him, kissing him.

And remain completely oblivious to the fact that he was being cheated on.

For the past 6 months.

Swerving so far to right that he almost crashed into a passing vehicle in the next lane, Sasuke clenched his eyes shut, only to open them once again at the deafening sound of a car horn blaring. Removing one hand up in a mock salute, Sasuke tried his best to convey his apologies whilst focusing on the road, and to stop getting his mind to think back to when Naruto had cheated on him.

He had fucking lost his Naruto, the light of his life, to the blasted Neji Hyuuga. He had lost his Naruto to fucking Neji Hyuuga, of all people, 6 months prior to the current date, to their 2-year anniversary.

What had he done to deserve this treatment from his boyfriend, the one that he loved and treasured and showed that he absolutely cared and loved him with all of his heart?

He had given his all into the relationship, putting in every ounce of his soul and entire being into it, only to be shoved aside without a second thought as soon as Neji Hyuuga was in the picture.

Was he still inferior to Neji?

Had he even outshined Neji, if ever?

What had he done to Naruto that would cause him to backstab him, in the worst way imaginable? What had he done to Naruto that would cause him to betray the trust that he had for Naruto, knowing for a fact that Sasuke did not trust easily? What had he done to Naruto, in all their years of friendship, for him to just casually throw him aside for Neji?

Had he not been a good enough boyfriend to Naruto?

Had he not showed him enough love and care and concern for Naruto?

Did he even mean anything to Naruto?

At the thought of actually not meaning anything to his most important and precious person, Sasuke felt like as though the wind just got sucked right out of his lungs, and his heart momentarily stopped beating.

To not mean anything to the love of his life. To not mean anything to the one person whom he would gladly throw his life away for, in order to see him smile. To not mean anything to the one person whom Sasuke sacrificed so much of his time and put in so much effort into maintaining a relationship with.

To not have meant anything to Naruto Uzumaki, his significant other.

Sasuke's whole world stopped, and the blaring sounds of multiple beeps and horns flew right past his head. His mind barely registered the fact that the car he was in was currently sailing through the air, the crunch of gravel lo longer making their way through to his ears. All Sasuke could do was stare blankly up at the evergreen forest that laid spread out, as far as the eye could see, as his car soared through the air, in all its magnificent airborne glory.

When sounds were officially starting to register themselves through Sasuke's mind and not flying past his head, he barely registered the faint screams, horns, and hollers for and ambulance from above.

The last thought that flew by Sasuke's mind before he exploded into a world of pain and unconsciousness was that _he should have tried even harder to be a better boyfriend to Naruto_.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

**Author's Note**: HOLY CRAP I FINALLY GOT THIS CHAPTER DONE OMG. I immediately worked on it since I uploaded the second chapter. Gosh, it seriously took me a lot of time and energy to write.

There are a few things that I guess I have to clarify:

The flashback to exactly a year ago was what the both of them felt then, Naruto's insecurities will be kicking in a little bit later, so stay tuned!

*Phew* Anyway, please drop a review down in the review section below, and tell me whether you've enjoyed it or not! Yes, it's gonna be a multi-chapter fic and I really hope that you guys enjoy reading this! The next chapter will most probably come out the some time the next weeks, considering the fact it's Sunday here in Singapore and I have MULTIPLE tests to study for for school. *Groans* Anyway, thanks once again, and stay tuned! :D

PLEASE REVIEW! I'd like at least the number to reach 18 before YHMHIYP: Chpt. 4 comes out! It'll really do much for me in terms of writing the next few chapters! #Motivation


	4. Calms & Cherished Moments

**You Hold My Heart In Your Paws**

_Chapter 4: Calms & Cherished Moments_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto, and it's pissing me off.

* * *

_**FLASHBACK**_

The days after their first time together, after the night when they both lost their virginities to each other, had been magical. Their love had grown ever so stronger, and they knew by heart that nothing could ever break and pull them apart.

Getting ready to head back down to Uchiha Inc., Sasuke knew that many more nights of which he had to sacrifice his sleep for would be coming. After all, they had just lost one economy-changing client, to Hyuuga Corp. no less, and their rival's business was booming at an incredibly fast pace. Fugaku Uchiha, the head of Uchiha Inc., was obviously not pleased with the revelation, and had instructed for every single one of his employees to clock in extra hours just so that they could still be on the same page as Hyuuga Corp., and not lag behind in the business world.

They had their pride to uphold, damn it.

Sighing as he failed to tie his tie again (thoughts of castrating a certain Neji Hyuuga having taken up most of the space in his mind), Sasuke turned to face his sleeping angel, hoping that perhaps looking at him would be able to calm his nerves down a little such that he would be able to focus more on getting ready and looking presentable for work.

Strands of gold lay flayed about on the big, fluffy pillow, and tiny, feminine hands lay underneath a rounded whiskered cheek, cradling the angelic face as Naruto Uzumaki slept, with all of peace in the world. His ever-so plump lips parted slightly, allowing the first signs of drool to make friends with the pillow beneath his head, and the little nose perched on the middle of his face was scrunched up slightly, and Sasuke could hear the faintest of snores reverberating throughout the grand master bedroom of Sasuke's penthouse. The blue orbs that Sasuke's love for grew with each passing day, were hidden behind a pair of closed, tanned eyelids.

Simply watching his angel, his savior, sleep with a certain calm that only one could reach when in their own depths of dreams, Sasuke could not help the fluttering that he felt in his chest, and the way his lips quirked up into a small smile. Wanting nothing more than to bask in the presence of his loved one, Sasuke stealthily made his way over to the right side of the bed (which was empty), and, not paying any mind to his work clothes, which would probably end up a little bit rumpled once he got back out of bed, Sasuke laid on his side and rested one arms over and around Naruto's waist whilst tucking the blond head under his chin. Simply breathing in the vanilla-scented hair and stroking the warm skin beneath his padded fingers, Sasuke threw all thoughts of work out of his mind and simply relished in the feeling of being close to Naruto.

Suddenly feeling enveloped by an all too familiar scent and warmth, Naruto turned around in his Sasuke's arms and slowly opened his eyes, allowing his blue irises to get used to the sudden change in brightness. Blinking a few times to get rid of the sleep-induced haze and focus on his surroundings, Naruto let his gaze rest on his hands, which were directly in front of his face, that were resting on a suit-clad chest. Pulling away from the tight and somewhat possessive embrace, Naruto peeked up under long, thick yellow bangs, to the face of his beloved, who was staring straight ahead, seemingly content with how he was right then.

Confused, knowing that Sasuke had to go to work and earn money so that they could continue having a roof over their heads; Naruto uncurled his fist and gently poked Sasuke in the chest, hoping to get his attention. Sneaking a glance over his boyfriend's broad shoulders, Naruto realized that it was close to 7.30A.M., and if Sasuke did not leave soon, he would have to rush to work, and risk being late because of the morning rush hour.

Feeling a tiny little bump repeatedly bumping against his chest, Sasuke glanced down to the blond mop of hair that wafted off of that sweet vanilla that Sasuke knew was Naruto's signature scent, and quirked an eyebrow up at the confused blue orbs.

"Don't you have work, teme?" The pink lips that Sasuke loved to kiss were pulled into a precious little pout, and Sasuke did not want anything more than to kiss it off of his kit's face. Swooping down until he could press their lips together gently, Sasuke pulled back and admired how beautiful his morning-Naruto looked like.

Due to their romp the previous night, the both of them had slept in their birthday suits, after having cleaned up and changing the soiled sheets, of course. The white duvet slipped off of Naruto's shoulder, exposing the hickey-covered shoulder and thoroughly ravished neck. Sasuke smirked, knowing that those love bites would only fade off after a few days, at most, and until then, anyone who laid their eyes on _his_ Naruto would obviously know that he was taken, and would probably be for the rest of his life.

Suddenly taking notice of where his boyfriend's gaze was trailing off to, Naruto immediately pulled the covers up and hid his body, such that only his head was exposed. He could feel his face flaming, and no doubt he looked like a ripened tomato right then.

_Curse that teme for leaving so many bites! How am I supposed to leave the house?!_

Inwardly fuming, Naruto glared hard at his boyfriend whilst at the same time cursing him for all he was worth, and for all the embarrassment that he would cause Naruto later on in the day when he left back for his apartment.

The weak attempt at a glare had only brought amusement to Sasuke, and he could not help but let out a rather quiet chuckle at seeing the dobe trying his best to instill some sort of fear in the Uchiha, through hardened sapphire orbs that were surrounded by a burning red face. He looked extra adorable, not fierce, which was what Naruto was trying to pull off.

"I just wanted to spend a little more time with you, is that too much to ask for, babe?" Sasuke purred, quite seductively, if Naruto might add. Widening his eyes a little more than necessary at the subtle hint that the Uchiha had just given out, Naruto immediately scampered away, cursing at the pain that shot up his back from his use-to-be-virgin bottom. Pulling up the covers around himself, Naruto could only watch, embarrassedly, as Sasuke gracefully got on all fours and started crawling his way to Naruto, like how a panther would do to its next meal.

Holding back a moan at the lustful stare that was being directed at his way, Naruto gulped and watched, transfixed, as Sasuke continue making his way, the mattress protesting against the heavy muscle weight that Sasuke carried around in his monstrous build.

As soon as Sasuke's lips were only a hair's breadth away from Naruto's, and his midnight liquid pools boring into those of Naruto's lustfully-frightened cerulean, Sasuke smirked, that oh so slight quirk of the lips that had most women dropping their panties at the sight of it, and reached behind Naruto's head…

…To grab his cufflinks on the bedside table.

Inwardly laughing at the shocked look that crossed Naruto's face, and the way it immediately glowed bright red, at having realized that what he thought Sasuke was going to do and what he had done were on completely different ends of the universe, Naruto gave a weak shove at the middle of Sasuke's hard chest, glaring even harder at the deep laugh that resonated from the depths of Sasuke's stomach.

"Y-You…!" Naruto stammered, and watched with bright fury present in his eyes as Sasuke merely quirked an elegantly shaped eyebrow, the corners of his lips twitching in an attempt at holding back an infuriating smirk. Casually clipping on the Uchiha-fan-symbol cufflinks, Sasuke simply flicked his wrist towards himself in a silent question of 'Me?'.

Growling, Naruto shoved the raven back onto his butt, inwardly doing a little victory dance at watching the Uchiha stumble back a little bit and land on his bottom, a tad bit ungracefully. Immediately crossing his arms over his duvet-covered chest, Naruto stuck his lips out into a childish pout and glared at his boyfriend through the messy curtain of yellow. "Don't do something like that…" Naruto muttered out and immediately looked away.

Smiling at the adorable way that Naruto expressed his thoughts, Sasuke got back on his knees and leant towards his boyfriend, making sure that he showed (through body language), that he had no intention of picking on Naruto any longer.

Cradling the soft, rounded, whiskered cheeks in his hands, Sasuke titled Naruto's head up so that he could level their gazes, soft onyx meeting with shy blue. Softly tracing his thumb over the bright pink lips that he was so fond off, Sasuke bent his head a little more and gave a quick and chaste kiss to his beloved.

"Alright, I won't do it again," at Naruto's breaking of their gaze again, Sasuke hooked his index finger under the tanned boy's chin and lifted it up, such that he could once again look into the eyes that he loved to get lost it. "Anyway, I just wanted to spend a little more time with you. Yes, I do still have work, and I better be going now, because Uchiha Inc. will undoubtedly have to work their asses off these next few weeks, what with that client going off to Hyuuga Corp…"

At the sullen drop in his teme's voice, Naruto immediately clapped his hands on either side of Sasuke's face, successfully bringing the Uchiha out of his self-loathing phase and getting his attention, before gazing determinedly into his widened onyx eyes.

"Sasuke Uchiha, that incident was by no means your fault. It just so happens that that bastard of a Hyuuga had to come in and steal that opportunity. You had no idea that he was going to do so, and if he hadn't had come, you would have bagged the client ASAP, without even having to present anything." Sasuke's eyebrows shot up a little, and his lips parted just a tad. He had no idea that Naruto had that much faith in him, seeing as how he had never been interested in Sasuke's rants whenever he started rambling on and on in business jargon, jargon that went completely over Naruto's head.

"Stop putting yourself down for something that you couldn't control, okay?" at the soft tone that Naruto had used, Sasuke snapped back to reality and immediately straightened himself up. He knew that Naruto had faith in him, much more than he thought he did, and obviously Sasuke was not going to let him down. He also knew that somehow, one way or another, him constantly beating himself up, like how Naruto had done so to himself in the past, was hurting his beloved, and Sasuke had vowed to never hurt Naruto, no matter what happens.

Smiling and nodding determinedly to himself as well as Naruto, Sasuke clasped his own pale hands around the tanned, tiny ones on his face, and brought them to his lips, gently pressing his lips to the fingertips.

"I promise I won't." With that, Sasuke placed one last lingering kiss on the awaiting lips of his sunshine, grabbed his undone tie, briefcase and car keys, and brisk-walked out of the penthouse. It was already 7.35A.M., and Sasuke had to be at work at 8.00A.M. sharp.

But Sasuke knew that the angry glares sent by his father throughout the day for his 'tardiness as an Uchiha, two words that should never be placed in the same sentence', would be worth the few minutes that he got to spend with his little cherub of a boyfriend,

Because Naruto was worth every little sacrifice and every little thing that Sasuke had to bear. And Sasuke knew, that no matter whatever Naruto did, he would still love him all the same.

No matter the mistake and betrayal that he might do (_probably not_) in the future.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hey Guys! Yeah, this is just a _reaaaaaaaally_ short chapter on the 'Calm before the storm' part of their relationship. The more...'intense' part of their relationship will come in later, with Neji and all that other stuff. So yeah, stay tuned, and please don't forget to review! It'll make me really happy and i'll upload the next few chapters at an even more faster rate! :D

On a side note, i won't be able to update for quite a while, as i've got my examinations coming up quite soon, so please bear with me for the upcoming 3 months at least. Yeah, i know, i really wanna get this fic done and over with as well (I'm as excited too, man!), but, studies come first... So i'm really really sorry but please understand and bear with me, yeah? Do review, and maybe when it reached 20 i'll put up the next chapter ASAP! :D

Thanks!  
ByakuSharingan


	5. Pressure & Possible Goodbyes

_Chapter 5: Pressure & Possible Goodbyes_

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I do not own Naruto. All hail the one who does, Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

_2 Months Later…_

"Ne, S'suke, what time will you be back today?" Naruto looked up at his boyfriend from the sea of crumpled silk sheets, eyes alight with hope and desperation. He was fiddling and fidgeting nervously with his thumbs and toes, hoping that his over-working boyfriend would actually start to make time for him, after the past few stressful weeks.

The deal with the Hyuugas had only wrecked havoc in the Uchiha Inc. Company. Now, every single employee and employer of the word-famous incorporation was putting in extra hours every single day, and putting in every fiber of their being into working their asses off, just to keep up to the lightning fast speed at which Hyuuga Corp. was progressing. Many of the employees were starting to resemble robots; 7 am in, 9 pm out. All of them rarely had any time which they could keep for themselves, some even forced to work during weekends. Their social lives were cut short, and many of them were starting to feel the pressure of their crumbling relationships.

One perfect example being the one between a certain Uchiha and an Uzumaki.

Sasuke was feeling the pressure too, but he was putting in extra effort into maintaining the company. Even after Naruto had spoken to him about how it wasn't his fault that that bastard of a Hyuuga and that prideful client of (supposedly) theirs had made his merry way over to their rival's company, Sasuke still felt that it was all due to him.

He also felt that since it was his fault that everyone was starting to go to work with huge purple bags under their eyes, slumped shoulders, and dragging feet, Sasuke felt that he had to do not just a little bit more, but _double_ the amount of workload as everybody else, in order to make up for their company's (in Sasuke's words) _huge_ loss.

Sasuke would go into work at 6am every morning, and leave the office at 10pm every night. It had become routine to him for the past 2 months, ever since the day after he got a big lecture from his father for turning up to work late. I mean, you couldn't blame him for wanting to spend a few extra minutes with his lovable and extremely adorable boyfriend, yes?

However, it was the lecture that his father had given him that changed the way he thought and his attitude towards work. It changed Sasuke entirely, and because of that, the lecture also changed his relationship with his boyfriend entirely as well.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"SASUKE!"

All the employees had whipped their heads about immediately back to their computer screens, scanning the various graphs and tabulating tables, analyzing documents and signing any official letter that needed a signature. Their fingers began to type away furiously at the pristine white keyboards, and their eyes started to scan the screens dutifully, whilst praying to God that their act was believable enough to pass in the eyes of one extremely furious Fugaku Uchiha.

Storming through the walkways of the various cubicles of the Higher-Management office, Fugaku had made sure to stomp (in a dignified and manly way) his Gucci dress shoes extra hard on the soft yet prideful carpeted flooring. The floor that he was on was, as what it was called, meant for all the Higher-Managers, those who were in charge of basically the various major sections of the company, and they were also under the second-direct order of Fugaku. They were under the direct control and order of Sasuke Uchiha, who was the head of this certain floor, and whose office that was going to be barged into by a certain enraged CEO.

_The nerve of him, coming into work late after ruining our chances of taking the world by storm for good?_ Fugaku was, as everyone could tell, not at all pleased. He was thoroughly fucking pissed off with his son for what he had done, and utterly disappointed with his behavior. And Fugaku was going to make sure that his feelings were made crystal clear to Sasuke once he was done with him.

Throwing the grand French doors of his son's office open, Fugaku glared about the spacious room, taking notice of the cluttered glass desk and the fear-stricken Uchiha sitting behind it, fingers clenched so tight around the edge of his working desk that his knuckles turned white, and the extremely (more so than normal) pale features of his aristocratically handsome features. Sasuke's back was as straight as a board, and his feet just spaced far enough for him to shoot up and make an escape from the wrath of his father, if needed.

Fugaku, realizing the effect that he had on his son, decided to calm himself down a notch, knowing that and with past experiences, that speaking with a frightened Sasuke would do no good, knowing that whatever he'd have to say would land on deaf ears.

Taking a few deep, steady and much needed breaths, Fugaku closed his eyes and started to count to ten. It helped to bring down his anger, just by a little, and it was also a sign for Sasuke to brace himself for the sophisticated lecture that he was going to receive, and to make sure that he was mentally and physically ready for it. Sasuke himself took a few much needed breaths and steadied his nerves.

"I'm thoroughly disappointed in you."

That sentence was not what either of them had expected to be rolling out of Fugaku's sharp tongue. Fugaku had expected that he would be hurling insults and cursing his son and scolding him for all that he was worth after that rip off with the client, and throwing rhetorical question after rhetorical question while he watched his son just nod and bow his head obediently, whilst Sasuke had also expected the same thing. Neither of them had expected to hear those words, of which Fugaku had never uttered for a long time now to his second son, and of which Sasuke had never wanted to hear ever again in his life.

However, reality was harsh and Sasuke felt like as though he was back when he was dying for some form of recognition from his father, back when he was still in the shadows of his older brother, back when he could never please and make his father proud.

The words pierced through Sasuke's soul, it was like a dagger that had been stabbed in his back, and it was twisting around, violently ripping the flesh of his muscles.

It hurt.

Fugaku, seeing as how much those words had an effect on his son; the blank stare, mouth agape, pale face, it all reminded him of when he used to tell Sasuke that he 'was not good enough', was 'not pleased by his work', and that his 'brother did so much better'. It brought to him those times when he would chastise Sasuke, and usually after those long, sometimes hushed lectures, Sasuke would work extra hard, putting in more of himself and his effort into his work just so that he could please his father and prove to him that he was just as good as his brother was.

Right now, Fugaku wanted that Sasuke back. He wanted the Sasuke that would put more of himself than anyone could into his work, just to make his father proud again. Fugaku wanted that Sasuke who would go the extra mile, just to hear the words 'I'm proud of you' escape the lips of the father whom he held such a high regard for. And Fugaku knew that the only way to achieve that Sasuke was to bring him down with his words, just like how he used to back in the past.

* * *

Sasuke clenched his eyes shut, gripping even harder onto the plain black tie that was looped around his neck. He was doing his very best to not remember the harsh words and spiteful glares that he had received from his father that day, praying for the hurtful memories to just fade away, but he knew they wouldn't. They never will.

All his life Sasuke had been working hard just to make his father proud, just so that he could see a smile on his face when he achieved something good, and not the usual frown. Sasuke had thought that he did, and that he would never experience being on the ugly side of his father ever again, but it seems like he would, and he did. He was back to being the little Sasuke, the Sasuke that strived for excellence, strived to be the best son that his father so badly wanted, strived to make his father proud of his existence, and not always look down on him and compare him with his perfect brother.

Opening his eyes once again, Sasuke made a resolution. He was going to work his ass off again, just as he had done before, and he was going to make up for his mistake. He was going to do whatever it takes just so that he could make his father proud once more. He will do it, regardless of whatever it takes.

Feeling small, soft hands curl around his fingers, prying them apart from the suffocating tie, Sasuke glanced down to see a blonde mop of hair that was pressed extremely close to his Armani Exchange white dress shirt, and skillful nimble fingers working their magic on the tie, tying a neat and successful Windsor knot.

"You didn't exactly answer my question, teme." Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to fight off the smirk that was crawling up his face, and took hold of the feminine hands that he loved so much into his own, calloused and much bigger and manlier ones. Bringing them up to his lips, Sasuke kissed ever finger, and bit playfully on the right pinky for extra effect.

"Sorry, babe. Just had something on my mind, that's all." Sasuke placed Naruto's hands back on his chest and wrapped his boyfriend up in his arms. He knew how much Naruto enjoyed being cocooned in his arms, more so when he was wearing his cologne; David Beckham's Intense Instinct.

Giggling softly to himself, Naruto pulled his head out and away from the muscular chest of his boyfriend's and glanced up, with so much hope and happiness dancing about his blue eyes. He was hoping that maybe this positive reaction to his question would mean that Sasuke would finally be coming home early, finally be able to spend time with him after so long of not doing so. Feeling a bright grin light up his childish features, Naruto once again voiced out his question.

"You'll be coming home early today?" Naruto was sure that he was going to get a 'yes', along with another bone crushing hug and playful nips to his ear, but he did not expect to get a downcast look thrown his way, and especially not the way in which his boyfriend's shoulders slumped and his smirk was completely wiped off of his face. The arms around him loosened themselves a little, allowing Naruto to put some distance between him and Sasuke.

Immediately losing his smile, Naruto gently shrugged himself off of the protective circle of Sasuke's arms, and padded silently back to the bed. Quietly slipping the covers over himself and made sure that he faced away from Sasuke, made sure that his boyfriend couldn't see and feel his disappointment.

Letting out a sigh, Sasuke ran a hand down his face and then through his gel-slicked hair. He knew that Naruto was expecting him to return home earlier today, seeing as how he told him that the company was starting to pick up once again and that Naruto could expect him to come home earlier from then on, but Sasuke still had work to do. He still had to make sure that everything was running smoothly. Sure, things were looking better down where the ants were working, but things only picked up a little bit a little higher up the ladder of Uchiha Inc. They were still feeling the pressure.

"I'm sorry, okay? I honestly am. We both know that I want to spend time with you, too. I want to come home early too, you kn—"

"Then why don't you?" Turning around as quick as he could, Naruto angled his body such that he was facing Sasuke, but still managed to seem as though he was the victim, the weaker one (noting as how he was wrapped up all protectively in the baby blue bed sheets, once that matched his eyes, Sasuke notes absent-mindedly).

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Sasuke settled down onto the side of the bed, making sure that he was not too close or too far from Naruto, knowing that when it came to arguing, this was the perfect distance to put between each other. Naruto wanted to make sure that Sasuke did not take this lightly (distance would be too short), and that he would still be able to hold onto Sasuke if he ever decided he would up and leave, if the argument got too out of hand.

"I'm in charge of the managers of the various sections of the company. Things are only going fine down below, but things aren't going as smoothly in the higher-ups. There are still things to take care of and I'm not sure how long it will take. I promise—"

"Don't make promises you can't keep." It was barely a whisper, but Sasuke had heard it all the same.

Feeling anger seeping through his veins at lightning speed, Sasuke momentarily got blinded by rage, and that sentence was all it took for him to spill everything out, not meaning any of them at all.

"You honestly think that you mean that little to me? Naruto—" Hearing his name being growled out in a way that Naruto had never heard before made him flinch and shy away, burrowing himself further into the heap of silk— "fuck, don't make this difficult okay? You're not the only victim here! I'm suffering as well, too, you know! You honestly think I enjoy working my ass off and not getting to spend any time for myself? You honestly think that I enjoy wasting my life away buried under heaps of work every single day for more than 12 hours? I loathe it, but I can't do anything about it! The company is going through what it's going through because of me, my fucking mistake! The company that my father worked so hard for to build up almost fell apart because of me! It's my responsibility, so I obviously have to be the one to make things right again! And it seems that in order to do that, I have to do what I have been doing, and I have to continue doing it! _You're not the only victim here, stop acting like one when you're not even experiencing what I'm going through!_"

Both of the room's occupants stood stock-still, one frozen in horror at realizing what he had said, and the other in hurt and pain. Only silence fell upon them, and Sasuke didn't know what to do to fill it up, no words could go past the gigantic lump in his throat right then, and his mouth refused to co-operate with him, to force his lips to at least mouth out the words of apology that Naruto so desperately deserved to hear.

The one bright blue had dimmed, and Sasuke did not know what to do to get the brightness back. Tears were rimming over the golden-lashed edges, and his pupil has dilated so much had had completely broke off any form of eye contact with him. Sasuke desperately wanted to scream out his apologies, to go down on one knee and just plead to Naruto for his forgiveness, because he knew that Naruto deserved none of whatever he had just did and said. He desperately wanted to hold him back in his arms, back in the place where he could just show how much he was sorry, and how much Naruto still and always will mean to him, to show just how much that he loved him, and always will.

But before he could do any of that, Naruto broke the silence first.

"Your work is more important to you than I am. I'm not even close to meaning anything to you."

Coherent thoughts flew out of his mind, and Sasuke recoiled, feeling as though someone had socked him in the gut and gave a stinging slap to the side of his face. It was like as though everything that he had said fell on deaf ears, about how he was struggling with work and the disdainful glares he received on a daily basis from his father, and nothing had made its way into Naruto's ears and to his mind. He was still pulling the victim card, wanting to make Sasuke guilty. But being the prideful Uchiha that he was, Sasuke was not going to fall for it, and he braced himself for his rebound attack.

"You know what, think whatever it is that you want to think. You're not the fucking victim here yet you keep whining and acting like one. It's always about you, isn't it? It's 'Naruto this', 'Naruto that', well you know what? I've had enough of this shit. I've had enough of you pulling out the 'victim' card because I'm sick of it. You've never experienced what it's like being me and putting up with a prideful father, so what would you know? You were an orphan ever since you were born, you don't have any parents, so what the _fuck_ would _you_ know? I've been suffering for the past 2 months yet you don't seem to give a fuck about me. You dare call yourself a good boyfriend? Fuck off."

Sasuke, not seeming aware of what that was pouring out of his mouth like hot lava that scalded all that it was being directed at, snatched his jacket and briefcase from the desk and stormed out of the house. Being too blinded by rage and hurt at how his boyfriend would think so lowly of him, to the extent where Sasuke wouldn't even take care of his boyfriend. It only managed to fuel his anger, and he yanked the car door open, shoved his key in, and once he heard the smooth roaring of the engine, he sped off down the driveway and the roads, to Uchiha Inc.

* * *

Back home, in the soft, king-sized bed, soft, small whimpers could be heard from the small hill of blue silk.

Sasuke's words had struck a chord that Naruto thought had been buried and long forgotten, but just being reminded about the undeniable fact that yes, he was an orphan and that he had no parents, caused a barrage of tears to escape the crystal blue of Naruto's precious glittering gems.

Naruto was doing his best to stay strong, to keep his head up high, because he had heard all of those comments before, and he had managed to shrug them off, choosing instead to prove them that he could still make it, that he could still pull through and be successful.

However, hearing those same few words that had been said by so many others before, back when he was only five years old, by the one person that Naruto knew he loved with all his heart, caused everything to come back flooding out. It was then, that Naruto realized, that it was not the same. Hearing it from random people whom he could not even remember and who was not important to him was much more different and far less hurtful than hearing it from the one person whom you wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

The words of Sasuke constantly made their way about Naruto's fragile little mind, rebounding off of the walls and flying through his head, repeating themselves over and over again.

_You were an orphan ever since you were born, you don't have any parents, so what the fuck would you know?_

_You dare call yourself a good boyfriend? Fuck off._

Crying even harder than he did before, Naruto curled in on himself even more and just let it go. He let out all his frustrations and anger and sorrow at being left alone to his own thoughts and company for the past 2 months, of being shut out and put aside while his own boyfriend went on and continued his pursuit for his father's acceptance, He let out all that he was feeling, about how he felt rejected, about how he felt like he was alone in the world once again, back when he hadn't had met Sasuke, back when everyone had their backs turned towards him, when no one had bothered to help him up when he was constantly being pushed and pulled downwards, towards the pit of despair and unhappiness. He let out all the sorrow that he was feeling, at being by himself again, having to stand up for himself and fend off the world on his own, because no one was no longer there by his side, to fight for him anymore.

His relationship with Sasuke was falling apart. It was ripping at the seams, and neither of them knew what the other was going through. They had never fought like this before, never in their 14 months of being together as boyfriends. Naruto had never expected that he would hear those same hateful words from his own boyfriend's mouth. Naruto had never expected their relationship to hit the rocky waters, and right then it seemed like it was going to be like the Titanic.

All grand and luxurious at first, but without heeding each others' struggles and pains, they were going to collide with the harshness of reality, and sink.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hey guys! I'm really sorry for not updating in a looooong time, but anyway, here it is! The latest chapter! This chapter is, as you can tell, basically them and their journey on the 'rocky road'. Things aren't exactly looking up right now for either of them, but what exactly happened that roped Neji in? How did Neji get involved with this drama? Stay tuned to find out!

Review, and maybe the commercials won't last for too long!

Yours Sincerely,  
ByakuSharingan


	6. Pressure & Possible Goodbyes (Part 2)

_Chapter 6: Pressure & Possible Goodbyes (Part 2)_

**Disclaimer**: Hate to break it to you, but Naruto belongs to none of us.

* * *

_Later That Night…_

Dragging his feet along the cold concrete pavement of the Uchiha Inc. multi-storey car park, Sasuke Uchiha could only shut his eyes tight and take in deep, steadying breaths to help calm his nerves down a notch. The full impact of whatever had happened in the morning had finally hit him; he finally realized, with a trembling heart and dry mouth what he had said and how badly he must have hurt his magnificent boyfriend, all due to some mindless slip of tongue that was due in the heat of the moment.

Naruto obviously did not deserve whatever it was that was hurled his way. Naruto definitely did not deserve the shit that Sasuke had not-so-kindly handed to him. He did not deserve any of that after all that he had been through. He did not deserve any of it after how much he had suffered, back when was just a newborn child up to when he met Sasuke. The boy had suffered far too much and experienced too much for someone as young as him. And Sasuke had no right whatsoever to say what he had said, to have done what he did.

_I'm such an asshole._

Naruto was the strongest person that he knew, he was the only one in Sasuke's mind who could smile and giggled through the barrage of unneeded insults and unnecessary hardships. He had put up with enough shit to last a few lifetimes in just under 20 years. He had been the best boyfriend that Sasuke could ever ask for; he had everything that Sasuke would ever dream of looking for in a partner.

Naruto was kind, loving, understanding, confident, and someone who never gave up. He was good naturedly stubborn (although Sasuke begged to differ at times), was constantly showering people with his love and joy, and he always saw the positives instead of the negatives, no matter how little or small they may be.

Naruto was also unbelievably beautiful. He had the looks of an angel, and the character of one as well. To Sasuke, Naruto could be compared to a lobster; tough and strong on the outside, but extremely soft and lovable on the inside. Sasuke loved that about Naruto. He loved his strength, his inability to give up, his love for the world that had kicked him aside and spat at him ever since he was born to when he was sixteen, his ability to radiate joy and light up every single room. Sasuke also loved his cute moments, when he would take just a tad too long to understand something, and when he finally did and caught up with everyone, a tomato-like blush would creep up his neck and wreck havoc all over his face. Sasuke loved many things about Naruto, too many to list.

But the one thing that Sasuke loved the most about Naruto was the fact that Naruto was able to love him unconditionally.

However, now Sasuke wasn't sure whether that statement would still be deemed true. He had hurt Naruto greatly with his words, and he knew that he would probably never be forgiven. Naruto, like a lobster, was extremely fragile on the inside. Once he loses his outer shell, he's left bare and exposed to the cruelty of the world, and just one little nudge to his side, touch him the wrong way, and his immaculate character just falls apart.

And Sasuke was responsible for that.

He had told Naruto in the past that he would never let anything or anyone hurt him, he had promised that Naruto would never get hurt, in any form or manner. He was the one who had given Naruto hope that he didn't have to go through shit again.

Yet he had let him.

He was the cause of his pain right then.

_How painfully ironic_.

Swallowing down the huge lump in his throat that had formed ever since thoughts flooded his mind, Sasuke latched onto the handle of his car and leant against the door. What was he thinking, yelling all those stuff at Naruto? The anger that he felt then was no excuse, he still had to have watched his mouth, and not just let everything spill out and slap Naruto on the face.

Naruto had been an amazing boyfriend, no doubt about that. He had been patient with Sasuke, sitting through his boring rants about work and about how stressful his life was. He had always managed to bring about some cheer with him and brighten up Sasuke's day by simply uttering a few words and giving a few chaste yet meaningful kisses to Sasuke. He knew Sasuke just like the back of his hand; able to tell when he needed to be alone, when he needed someone to just be next to him because something drastic had happened, when he needed to de-stress just a little. Naruto had known exactly what Sasuke needed every single time, and he had done what needed to be done. He was the one constant in Sasuke's life, and Sasuke knew that he can never afford ever losing Naruto.

Naruto had successfully become a part of him, a part of him that Sasuke had no intention to get rid of. He wanted Naruto ever since he was in high school, and now that he had him, no way in hell will he ever be giving him up.

But after what happened that morning, will Naruto still want him? Is Naruto willing to give him up? Will the one person that Sasuke thought loved him unconditionally, give him up, seeing as how Sasuke had thoroughly managed to break him, break his entire character and leave him broken and exposed to the whole entire world?

Sasuke prayed will all his being that Naruto wouldn't, that Naruto was willing to give him a second chance to work things out between themselves and fix things.

Slowly pulling his car door open, Sasuke clambered in, poise and posture all swept to the back of his mind and thoughts of apologizing to Naruto took the wheel. Gazing determinedly into the exact same pair of midnight eyes in his rearview mirror, Sasuke made a resolution to make Naruto as happy as possible, to help fix Naruto, to bring him back to the person that he was before.

Sliding the key into its hole, Sasuke sped off into the late night, with his heart on his willing sleeve, open and exposed to Naruto.

* * *

"Naruto?" Sasuke quietly made his way towards the small heap on their king-sized bed, knowing that his boyfriend was still awake, even at this time of the night. Naruto never could sleep unless Sasuke was home, unless Sasuke had stepped into their house. That had been the case since two months ago, something which Sasuke felt angered by.

It was already 10:38 pm, and most of the city had gone to sleep, yet Naruto was simply too stubborn to do so, even after the countless minute lectures that he received from Sasuke due to his staying up late.

However, for a change, Sasuke was praying that Naruto was still awake, so that they could make things up, to talk and clear the fog before it could suffocate them and tear them apart.

"…Don't fucking talk to me."

Recoiling like he had been slapped in the face, Sasuke could only stare wide-eyed at the innocent looking hump on the large bed. Never had he expected Naruto to use vulgarities on him, seeing as how Naruto hated the use of foul language, based on past experiences of being on the receiving end of said insults. However, here he was, resorting to using the holy swear word that Naruto was known to have hated the most.

"…What?" Sasuke meekly whispered, hoping that he had heard wrongly, but he knew that Naruto must have been royally pissed to have to be using such words and language on him. The thought only managed to fuel Sasuke's anger towards himself for losing control over his mouth that morning, and also to fuel his depression.

"You heard me. I told you not to fucking talk to me. So just get out."

With his mouth hanging agape, Sasuke could only stare dumbfounded as the solid lump on the bed started to finally take shape. A blonde head poked out of the covers, and the person finally turned to face him, sitting upright with the huge pillow clutched tightly to his chest. However, the feature that struck Sasuke the most was that of his face. His angel's eyes had become narrow slits, brimming with unshed tears that were on the direct edge of the golden lashes, ready to spill over and roll down the scarred cheeks. The little button nose that Sasuke loved to kiss was scrunched up, pitiful sniffing sounds escaping it, and the rosy lips that Sasuke adored were pulled make in a grimace, holding back any sounds of pathetic whimpers that were threatening to escape.

Sasuke stood rooted to the spot, unable to break eye contact as the reality of how harsh his words were took its toll on him. He had never meant to hurt Naruto that badly, had never meant to hurt Naruto at all. He had never in his entire lifetime of knowing Naruto, wanted to hurt him intentionally, and he had never wanted to see Naruto suffer again.

Yet here he was, breaking down right before his eyes.

"Can you not hear me? I told you to fucking _get out_! I'm not important to anyone, much less you, so why are you wasting your fucking precious time on _me_ when you could be out there, working and striving for daddy's acceptance again, huh?" Naruto's scream brought Sasuke out of his reverie, Naruto's words shaking him down to his very core.

But he reminded himself to stay calm, knowing that if he ever got riled up again, he would only succeed in hurling the same amount of negative and hurtful comments as he had done so in the morning, and just as how Naruto was doing then.

"Look, I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry for whatever that I've said this morning, I'm sorry for the things that I've said okay? I know that I hurt you—"

"Of course you fucking did, you son of a bitch! I thought that I meant something to you. I thought that you knew that everyone was hurting inside, just at different levels. Don't you dare pull the victim card when you've never experience what the hell I have been through!" Resorting to using Sasuke's own words on himself, Naruto gripped the edges of the bed sheet so tightly that his knuckles started to turn white. He was gritting his teeth together so hard that he could feel his vein popping up at the corner of his forehead. More tears were threatening to spill over, and Naruto could not hold back the single whimper that he desperately wanted to not let go of.

"You know damn well that whatever you were saying was hurting me, yet you continued on. You don't even know what it's like to not have any parents to look up to. You don't even know what it's like to be left completely alone and to have to fend for yourself for the first 15 years of your life, Sasuke! You don't know what it's like to be me, you don't know what it's like to go through the shit that I've gone through, so don't act like you're the fucking victim here!"

Taken aback by Naruto's sudden outburst, Sasuke only managed to gaze back into petrified, pain-stricken, lonely blue orbs of his beloved. As the full gravity of the situation finally hit him, Sasuke stare back at Naruto as he finally let loose all of the things that he had kept bottled up inside ever since that morning.

"You don't fucking care about me! Your work is so much more important than your own boyfriend, yet you still have the cheek to come back here? You've already announced to the whole entire world that I'm not important to you, so why the fuck are you here? Get out!"

Glaring heatedly at his boyfriend with tear-brimming eyes, Naruto bit down painfully hard on his lower lip, trying with all his might to stop it from trembling and letting loose all the broken sobs and whimpers that he did not want Sasuke to hear. Clutching the blue silk between his small fingers, Naruto shut his eyes as tight as they could go, unable to continue keeping the gaze between his own blue and the broken, pain and hurt filled onyx of his lover.

"…I told you to lea—" Before Naruto could complete his sentence, Sasuke cut him off.

"I…I'm sorry, 'k? I…I know I hurt you, I hurt you so much. Y-you didn't deserve any of it, God, Naruto, you don't deserve to be hurt _at all_, after all the shit that you've been through. I-I _know_ that. I promised that I wouldn't hurt you, yet I did, and I'm honestly so fucking sorry, okay? I ne-never intended to say those words. _Please, believe me_."

Before Naruto heard anything at all, his eyes immediately shot open as soon as he saw Sasuke kneeling before him, grip on his forearms impossibly tight. Tears were brimming on the bottom lid of his eyes, but Naruto knew better than anyone that Sasuke was a downright stubborn bastard who, due to his pride, will never let them fall. The usually pale, pink bottom lip that was constantly pressed together in a straight, tight line was being held back by a pristine, straight white row of immaculate teeth.

Going back up to his eyes, Naruto nearly gave in. Then and there, he could see the amount of pain and sorrow the Uchiha was going through, probably due to the thought of Naruto leaving him once and for all. The purple bags that Naruto hadn't noticed before were clear as day, and he knew that Sasuke had been going through shit 24/7, without adequate sleep. However, it was the sight of the midnight orbs that took Naruto's breath away, because he could see, crystal clearly, the emotional turmoil that Sasuke was going through. He could practically feel himself being engulfed by the amount of emotions that were swimming about in his eyes; sorrow, hurt, frustration, _fear_ of Naruto leaving, _hate_ at himself for letting their argument get this far, but most of all _pain_, at the thought of having to watch Naruto walk away.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto nodded to himself inwardly, and began to sort through his own mess of emotions that took up his whole entire being. Sasuke was hurting, but so was he. He still couldn't find it in himself to forgive Sasuke for what he had said that morning, he doubted that he would even in the future. However, it took Sasuke for Naruto to be breaking down and possibly leave him in order for him to fight for the relationship? He had never called Naruto back once during the entire day after their argument, never even bothered to drop a text to say that he was sorry. Naruto had been dull and confused (about where their relationship was standing and about what would happen next) for the whole entire day yet Sasuke didn't even seem troubled by it, not until he came back home.

_Did he even mean anything to Sasuke anymore?_

Not being able to find any other way to find out the answer to the question, Naruto took a deep breath and braced himself for his question, and answer.

"…Will you make time for me?"

At the dimming of black eyes and hunching of broad shoulders, Naruto knew right then that Sasuke still put his work before Naruto. Sure, Naruto understood that Sasuke had work to do, but at the expense of his already crumbling relationship? Their relationship was nearing the iceberg, yet Sasuke was not willing to change course, even if Naruto was? He was given the reigns, yet he continued on, willing to hurt Naruto just to get what he wanted. Naruto had given him an option, even after clearing showing that he was willing to leave Sasuke, that he couldn't take the empty nights and loneliness anymore, yet Sasuke still put his work before his own boyfriend, the person whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life with?

Harshly shrugging off the strong hands that were on his arms, Naruto scrambled away from Sasuke and roughly ripped the sheets away from his body. Stomping his way over to their shared walk-in closet, Naruto yanked the nearest pair of skinny Levi's, a pair of orange Converse, and an American Apparel hoodie. Naruto slammed the grand wooden door shut, before letting the tears fall once again.

As he pulled his jeans over his slender, tan legs and boyshorts, Naruto mulled over the fact that he was once again clearly thrown aside and rejected, like a piece of trash. He had open up his hand to Sasuke, allowing him to once again work together with Naruto and fix their relationship, but then, Naruto painfully realized that he didn't mean anything to Sasuke.

He was second to Sasuke's work.

Wiping his eyes on the sleeves of his too-big hoodie, Naruto unlocked the door, grabbed his necessities and raced out of the house, without a destination in mind.

This was their first ever fight in their history, yet things were already getting this bad. They had never fought before, so what was he supposed to do in order to make things right? What was he supposed to do in order to prevent their relationship from officially hitting the rocks and sinking?

What was he to do, when he was the only one willing to save their soon-to-be one-sided relationship?

Naruto, unable to cope with all the questions that were going about his pretty little mind right then, stepped into the nearest alcoholic shop that he could find. Not taking notice of the rather familiar name, due to being blinded by the bundle of bursting emotions that he was feeling inside, Naruto took one step into the rather sophisticated (for a bar) building and decided that it was just best for him to drink his night away, hoping that it would get him to forget all of his troubles and his relationship for the night. Praying to God that alcohol had the same effect on him as it did with his other friends, Naruto hoped that, for just one time in two months, Naruto would feel the slightest bit carefree once again.

To any of his friends, Naruto was never and will never be an alcoholic, for he detested the taste of alcohol. But if any of them were to find him there right then, they knew that things were hard.

_Very hard._

And Naruto didn't know what to do to get things the right side up again.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Shit's about to hit the roof, my dear readers. What's gonna happen next? Will Neji finally, finally, come into the story? What about Sasuke and Naruto's relationship? Review, and I guarantee that the commercials won't last for too long!

Anyway I'm really sorry for not updating in a while, but please do leave reviews! This chapter is just about them and how it all went downhill. The next chapter onward is when things are gonna go down. So stay tuned!


End file.
